How to Recognize a Fake Video
By using increasingly sophisticated methods of creating fake videos or deepfakes, video editors can actually change the face of the video. (According to our sister site Gizmodo, this technology has been particularly popular for making fake celebrity porn .) Deepfakes will soon make it difficult to determine the reality of videos of a famous figure. To demonstrate this, BuzzFeed and director Jordan Peele created a deepfake in which Barack Obama says things like “President Trump is a complete dumbass.”
While this isn’t the most compelling deepfake video, it’s enough to fool some people, especially those in a rush to watch a low-res copy on a smartphone. The technology will inevitably improve, but this video is a good tool for exploring the current telltale signs of a deepfake. Here are three questions to ask yourself:
Is their mouth moving too little?
It is easy to hit someone with their face on the head of another person; It is much more difficult to imitate the subtleties of speech. The fake Obama has a problem with the “P” sounds, especially with “complete shit.”
Can’t you hear their voice?
While audio software also makes it easy to simulate someone’s voice, right now it often leaves traces of editing: the pitch might be muted, or the intonation might sound a little like Siri. In the BuzzFeed video, Peel provides a convincing but slightly imperfect voice experience.
Do they jerk?
Does their face move independently of the body? Does their mouth move independently of their face? Notice the way Obama’s eyes dart to the sides and how his mouth seems a little torn from his face. Compare this to the way Jigsaw’s mouth and eyes move in tandem with his facial muscles.
Do they look like video games?
Fake video apps cannot (yet) perfectly simulate the effects of video recording with varying quality, lighting and encodings. So, in different places, Fake Obama looks oddly sharp, blurry, or lit from different angles. Plus, the outline of its jaw has a tendency to flicker. There is a small chasm between the real person and the simulation – the Terrible Valley, which scares us at a primitive level.
Deepfake videos, video games, and movie special effects use similar technologies, so Deepfake will often resemble a game or movie. This is not a reliable video test, but it is a warning sign.
How do they look in real video?
Watch an excerpt from this “hangout by the fire” of the real Obama. BuzzFeed used a very similar Obama video to create their fake one.
Notice the tics and body movements of the real Obama. Listen to his voice, a little deeper and more flattering than Peel’s. See how his face fits in with the rest of the image. And notice how exactly the human mouth moves to make sounds.
Also note the high resolution in real video. The higher the resolution and quality of the video, the more difficult it is to fake it. Again, and we cannot stress this, the gap will eventually narrow as technologies become more complex. But so far, it takes a lot of time and effort to create a convincing fake video in which someone is talking. It would be even more difficult to put words in Obama’s mouth if he walked while he spoke, or if the camera moved. Thus, the simpler and lower the quality of the video, the more likely it is that someone will be able to convincingly fake it.
BuzzFeed also recommends looking at the source and seeing where the video has been covered online, what you should do about any rumors that seem too crazy to be true. Since none of the above analytical tactics are reliable, it is best to combine them with something like this.
Be on your guard. Because when that other president’s letter comes out, some brave soul will have to look at it to make sure it’s real.