#FactCheck - Video Showing Sadhus in Ice Is Artificially Generated

Introduction

AI-generated fake videos are proliferating on the Internet indeed becoming more common by the day. There is a use of sophisticated AI algorithms that help manipulate or generate multimedia content such as videos, audio, and images. As a result, it has become increasingly difficult to differentiate between genuine, altered, or fake content, and these AI-manipulated videos look realistic. A recent study has shown that 98% of deepfake-generated videos have adult content featuring young girls, women, and children, with India ranking 6th among the nations that suffer from misuse of deepfake technology. This practice has dangerous consequences and could harm an individual's reputation, and criminals could use this technology to create a false narrative about a candidate or a political party during elections.

The working of deepfake videos is based on algorithms that refine the fake content, and the generators are built and trained in such a way as to get the desired output. The process is repeated several times, allowing the generator to improve the content until it seems realistic, making it more flawless. Deepfake videos are created by specific approaches some of them are: -

• Lip syncing: This is the most common technique used in deepfake. Here, the voice recordings of the video, make it appear as to what was originally said by the person appearing in the video.
• Audio deepfake:  For Audio-generated deepfake, a generative adversarial network (GAN) is used to colon a person’s voice, based on the vocal patterns and refine it till the desired output is generated.

• Deepfake has become so serious that the technology could be used by bad actors or by cyber-terrorist squads to set their Geo-political agendas.  Looking at the present situation in the past few the number of cases has just doubled, targeting children, women and popular faces. 

• Greater Risk: in the last few years the cases of deep fake have risen. by the end of the year 2022, the number of cases has risen to 96% against women and children according to a survey.
• Every 60 seconds, a deepfake pornographic video is created, now quicker and more affordable than ever, it takes less than 25 minutes and costs using just one clean face image.  
• The connection to deepfakes is that people can become targets of "revenge porn" without the publisher having sexually explicit photographs or films of the victim. They may be made using any number of random pictures or images collected from the internet to obtain the same result. This means that almost everyone who has taken a selfie or shared a photograph of oneself online faces the possibility of a deepfake being constructed in their image.

Deepfake-related security concerns

As deepfakes proliferate, more people are realising that they can be used not only to create non-consensual porn but also as part of disinformation and fake news campaigns with the potential to sway elections and rekindle frozen or low-intensity conflicts.

Deepfakes have three security implications: at the international level, strategic deepfakes have the potential to destroy precarious peace; at the national level, deepfakes may be used to unduly influence elections, and the political process, or discredit opposition, which is a national security concern, and at the personal level, the scope for using Women suffer disproportionately from exposure to sexually explicit content as compared to males, and they are more frequently threatened. 

Policy Consideration

Looking at the present situation where the cases of deepfake are on the rise against women and children, the policymakers need to be aware that deepfakes are utilized for a variety of valid objectives, including artistic and satirical works, which policymakers should be aware of. Therefore, simply banning deepfakes is not a way consistent with fundamental liberties. One conceivable legislative option is to require a content warning or disclaimer. Deepfake is an advanced technology and misuse of deepfake technology is a crime.

What are the existing rules to combat deepfakes?

It's worth noting that both the IT Act of 2000 and the IT Rules of 2021 require social media intermediaries to remove deep-fake videos or images as soon as feasible. Failure to follow these guidelines can result in up to three years in jail and a Rs 1 lakh fine. Rule 3(1)(b)(vii) requires social media intermediaries to guarantee that its users do not host content that impersonates another person, and Rule 3(2)(b) requires such content to be withdrawn within 24 hours of receiving a complaint. Furthermore, the government has stipulated that any post must be removed within 36 hours of being published online. Recently government has also issued an advisory to social media intermediaries to identify misinformation and deepfakes.

Conclusion

It is important to foster ethical and responsible consumption of technology. This can only be achieved by creating standards for both the creators and users, educating individuals about content limits, and providing information. Internet-based platforms should also devise techniques to deter the uploading of inappropriate information. We can reduce the negative and misleading impacts of deepfakes by collaborating and ensuring technology can be used in a better manner.  

References

• https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/parenting/moments/how-social-media-scandals-like-deepfake-impact-minors-and-students-mental-health/articleshow/105168380.cms?from=mdr
• https://www.aa.com.tr/en/science-technology/deepfake-technology-putting-children-at-risk-say-experts/2980880
• https://wiisglobal.org/deepfakes-as-a-security-issue-why-gender-matters/

CAPTCHA, or the Completely Automated Public Turing Test to Tell Computers and Humans Apart function, is an image or distorted text that users have to identify or interpret to prove they are human. 2007 marked the inception of CAPTCHA, and Google developed its free service called reCAPTCHA, one of the most commonly used technologies to tell computers apart from humans. CAPTCHA protects websites from spam and abuse by using tests considered easy for humans but were supposed to be difficult for bots to solve. 

But, now this has changed. With AI becoming more and more sophisticated, it is now capable of solving CAPTCHA tests at a rate that is more accurate than humans, rendering them increasingly ineffective. This raises the question of whether CAPTCHA is still effective as a detection tool with the advancements of AI.

CAPTCHA Evolution: From 2007 Till Now

CAPTCHA has evolved through various versions to keep bots at bay. reCAPTCHA v1 relied on distorted text recognition, v2 introduced image-based tasks and behavioural analysis, and v3 operated invisibly, assigning risk scores based on user interactions. While these advancements improved user experience and security, AI now solves CAPTCHA with 96% accuracy, surpassing humans (50-86%). Bots can mimic human behaviour, undermining CAPTCHA’s effectiveness and raising the question: is it still a reliable tool for distinguishing real people from bots?

Smarter Bots and Their Rise

AI advancements like machine learning, deep learning and neural networks have developed at a very fast pace in the past decade, making it easier for bots to bypass CAPTCHA. They allow the bots to process and interpret the CAPTCHA types like text and images with almost human-like behaviour. Some examples of AI developments against bots are OCR or Optical Character Recognition. The earlier versions of CAPTCHA relied on distorted text: AI because of this tech is able to recognise and decipher the distorted text, making CAPTCHA useless. AI is trained on huge datasets which allows Image Recognition by identifying the objects that are specific to the question asked. These bots can mimic human habits and patterns by Behavioural Analysis and therefore fool the CAPTCHA. 

To defeat CAPTCHA, attackers have been known to use Adversarial Machine Learning, which refers to AI models trained specifically to defeat CAPTCHA. They collect CAPTCHA datasets and answers and create an AI that can predict correct answers. The implications that CAPTCHA failures have on platforms can range from fraud to spam to even cybersecurity breaches or cyberattacks. 

CAPTCHA vs Privacy: GDPR and DPDP

GDPR and the DPDP Act emphasise protecting personal data, including online identifiers like IP addresses and cookies. Both frameworks mandate transparency when data is transferred internationally, raising compliance concerns for reCAPTCHA, which processes data on Google’s US servers. Additionally, reCAPTCHA's use of cookies and tracking technologies for risk scoring may conflict with the DPDP Act's broad definition of data. The lack of standardisation in CAPTCHA systems highlights the urgent need for policymakers to reevaluate regulatory approaches.

CyberPeace Analysis: The Future of Human Verification

CAPTCHA, once a cornerstone of online security, is losing ground as AI outperforms humans in solving these challenges with near-perfect accuracy. Innovations like invisible CAPTCHA and behavioural analysis provided temporary relief, but bots have adapted, exploiting vulnerabilities and undermining their effectiveness. This decline demands a shift in focus. 

Emerging alternatives like AI-based anomaly detection, biometric authentication, and blockchain verification hold promise but raise ethical concerns like privacy, inclusivity, and surveillance. The battle against bots isn’t just about tools but it’s about reimagining trust and security in a rapidly evolving digital world.

AI is clearly winning the CAPTCHA war, but the real victory will be designing solutions that balance security, user experience and ethical responsibility. It’s time to embrace smarter, collaborative innovations to secure a human-centric internet.

References

• https://www.business-standard.com/technology/tech-news/bot-detection-no-longer-working-just-wait-until-ai-agents-come-along-124122300456_1.html 
• https://www.milesrote.com/blog/ai-defeating-recaptcha-the-evolving-battle-between-bots-and-web-security 
• https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/10/24/1081139/captchas-ai-websites-computing/‍
• https://datadome.co/guides/captcha/recaptcha-gdpr/

Overview:

In today’s digital landscape, safeguarding personal data and communications is more crucial than ever. WhatsApp, as one of the world’s leading messaging platforms, consistently enhances its security features to protect user interactions, offering a seamless and private messaging experience

App Lock: Secure Access with Biometric Authentication

To fortify security at the device level, WhatsApp offers an app lock feature, enabling users to protect their app with biometric authentication such as fingerprint or Face ID. This feature ensures that only authorized users can access the app, adding an additional layer of protection to private conversations.

How to Enable App Lock:

1. Open WhatsApp and navigate to Settings.
2. Select Privacy.
3. Scroll down and tap App Lock.
4. Activate Fingerprint Lock or Face ID and follow the on-screen instructions.

Chat Lock: Restrict Access to Private Conversations

WhatsApp allows users to lock specific chats, moving them to a secured folder that requires biometric authentication or a passcode for access. This feature is ideal for safeguarding sensitive conversations from unauthorized viewing.

How to Lock a Chat:

1. Open WhatsApp and select the chat to be locked.
2. Tap on the three dots (Android) or More Options (iPhone).
3. Select Lock Chat
4. Enable the lock using Fingerprint or Face ID.

Privacy Checkup: Strengthening Security Preferences

The privacy checkup tool assists users in reviewing and customizing essential security settings. It provides guidance on adjusting visibility preferences, call security, and blocked contacts, ensuring a personalized and secure communication experience.

How to Run Privacy Checkup:

1. Open WhatsApp and navigate to Settings.
2. Tap Privacy.
3. Select Privacy Checkup and follow the prompts to adjust settings.

Automatic Blocking of Unknown Accounts and Messages

To combat spam and potential security threats, WhatsApp automatically restricts unknown accounts that send excessive messages. Users can also manually block or report suspicious contacts to further enhance security.

How to Manage Blocking of Unknown Accounts:

1. Open WhatsApp and go to Settings.
2. Select Privacy.
3. Tap to Advanced 
4. Enable Block unknown account messages

IP Address Protection in Calls

To prevent tracking and enhance privacy, WhatsApp provides an option to hide IP addresses during calls. When enabled, calls are routed through WhatsApp’s servers, preventing location exposure via direct connections.

How to Enable IP Address Protection in Calls:

1. Open WhatsApp and go to Settings.
2. Select Privacy, then tap Advanced.
3. Enable Protect IP Address in Calls. 

Disappearing Messages: Auto-Deleting Conversations

Disappearing messages help maintain confidentiality by automatically deleting sent messages after a predefined period—24 hours, 7 days, or 90 days. This feature is particularly beneficial for reducing digital footprints.

How to Enable Disappearing Messages:

1. Open the chat and tap the Chat Name.
2. Select Disappearing Messages.
3. Choose the preferred duration before messages disappear.

View Once: One-Time Access to Media Files

The ‘View Once’ feature ensures that shared photos and videos can only be viewed a single time before being automatically deleted, reducing the risk of unauthorized storage or redistribution.

How to Send View Once Media:

1. Open a chat and tap the attachment icon.
2. Choose Camera or Gallery to select media.
3. Tap the ‘1’ icon before sending the media file.

Group Privacy Controls: Manage Who Can Add You

WhatsApp provides users with the ability to control group invitations, preventing unwanted additions by unknown individuals. Users can restrict group invitations to ‘Everyone,’ ‘My Contacts,’ or ‘My Contacts Except…’ for enhanced privacy.

How to Adjust Group Privacy Settings:

1. Open WhatsApp and go to Settings.
2. Select Privacy and tap Groups.
3. Choose from the available options: Everyone, My Contacts, or My Contacts Except

‍

Conclusion

‍

WhatsApp continuously enhances its security features to protect user privacy and ensure safe communication. With tools like App Lock, Chat Lock, Privacy Checkup, IP Address Protection, and Disappearing Messages, users can safeguard their data and interactions. Features like View Once and Group Privacy Controls further enhance confidentiality. By enabling these settings, users can maintain a secure and private messaging experience, effectively reducing risks associated with unauthorized access, tracking, and digital footprints. Stay updated and leverage these features for enhanced security.

‍