Facebook's Deepfake Video Ban Permits Some Altered Content
January 07 2020 - 2:38AM
Dow Jones News
By Betsy Morris
Facebook Inc. is banning videos that have been manipulated using
advanced tools, though it won't remove all doctored content, as the
social media giant tries to combat disinformation without stifling
speech.
The policy unveiled Monday by Monika Bickert, Facebook's vice
president for global policy management, is the company's most
concrete step to fight the spread of so called deepfakes on its
platform.
Deepfakes are images or videos that have been manipulated
through the use of sophisticated machine-learning algorithms,
making it nearly impossible to differentiate between what is real
and what isn't.
"While these videos are still rare on the internet, they present
a significant challenge for our industry and society as their use
increases," Ms. Bickert said in a blog post.
Facebook said it would remove or label misleading videos that
had been edited or manipulated in ways that would not be apparent
to the average person. That would include removing videos in which
artificial intelligence tools are used to change statements made by
the subject of the video or replacing or superimposing content.
Social media companies have come under increased pressure to
stamp out false or misleading content on their sites ahead of this
year's American presidential election.
Late last year, Alphabet Inc.'s Google updated its political
advertisement policy and said it would prohibit the use of
deepfakes in political and other ads. In November, Twitter said it
was considering identifying manipulated photos, videos and audio
shared on its platform.
Facebook's move could also expose it to new controversy. It said
its policy banning deepfakes "does not extend to content that is
parody or satire, or video that has been edited solely to omit or
change the order of words." That could put the company in the
position of having to decide which videos are satirical, which
aren't and where to draw the line on what doctored content will be
taken down.
Facebook has already been trying to walk a thin line on other
content moderation issues ahead of this year's presidential
election. The company, unlike some rivals, has said it wouldn't
block political advertisements even if they contain inaccurate
information. That policy drew criticism from some politicians,
including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democratic contender for the
White House. Facebook later said it would ban ads if they
encouraged violence.
The new policy also marks the latest front in Facebook's battle
against those who use artificial intelligence to spread messages on
its site. Last month, the company took down hundreds of fake
accounts that used AI-generated photos to pass them off as
real.
In addition to Facebook's latest policy on deepfakes, which
generally rely on AI tools to mask that the content is fake, the
company also will continue to screen for other misleading content.
It will also review videos that have been altered using less
sophisticated methods and place limits on such posts.
The Facebook ban wouldn't have applied to an altered video of
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. That video of a speech by Mrs.
Pelosi--widely shared on social media last year--was slowed down
and altered in tone, making her appear to slur her words. Facebook
said the video didn't qualify as a deepfake because it used regular
editing, though the company still limited its distribution because
of the manipulation.
"If we simply removed all manipulated videos flagged by
fact-checkers as false, the videos would still be available
elsewhere on the internet or social media ecosystem. By leaving
them up and labeling them as false, we're providing people with
important information and context," Ms. Bickert said.
Jeff Horwitz contributed to this article.
Write to Betsy Morris at betsy.morris@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
January 07, 2020 03:23 ET (08:23 GMT)
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