Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

'Deep fakes' most sinister threat yet to U.S. elections, devastating to democracy
The Washington Times ^ | December 2, 2018 | Ben Wolfgang

Posted on 12/02/2018 4:48:25 PM PST by jazusamo

AUSTIN, Texas — U.S. leaders say Vladimir Putin used a familiar cyber playbook to “muck around” in the midterm elections last month, but intelligence officials and key lawmakers believe a much more sinister, potentially devastating threat lies just down the road — one that represents an attack on reality itself.

Policy insiders and senators of both parties believe the Russian president or other actors hostile to the U.S. will rely on “deep fakes” to throw the 2020 presidential election cycle into chaos, taking their campaign to influence American voters and destabilize society to a new level.

The eerie process, which relies on cutting-edge, deep-learning algorithm technology, produces high-quality audio and video of individuals saying things they never said or doing things they never did. The phony video, analysts say, will be virtually indistinguishable from real footage, mimicking voices, speaking patterns, facial expressions and surroundings to a frighteningly realistic degree.

U.S. officials attending a high-level national security forum last week say the technology is the next major threat to American elections and potentially to democracy itself, and analysts say the nefarious possibilities are virtually endless.

U.S. military researchers see deep fakes as a top priority, and lawmakers say cooperation among the armed forces, technology sector and Congress will be necessary to counter them.

“We are heading to an era where deep fakes technology is going to cause real chaos,” Sen. Ben Sasse, Nebraska Republican, told a room full of military, intelligence and national security officials Friday during the annual Texas National Security Forum.

“It’s going to destroy human lives, it’s going to roil financial markets, and it might well spur military conflicts around the world,” said Mr. Sasse, echoing what military and intelligence officials say privately...

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; Russia
KEYWORDS: 1984; 2020election; bensasse; cyberwarfare; deepfake; deepfakes; electionfraud; elections; fakenews; nationalsecurity; phonyvideo; preppers; russia
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-78 last
To: jazusamo
The phony video, analysts say, will be virtually indistinguishable from real footage, mimicking voices, speaking patterns, facial expressions and surroundings to a frighteningly realistic degree.

Wouldn't it be a hoot if the Russians were paid/bribed by the Clinton/Obama camps to concoct this mysterious,"Eerie technology/software" as they announce the Russians allegedly have developed because the swamp was tipped off someone connected to Trumps administration was going to release real audio/video of some of these big players conspiring/committing crimes. The big players can then claim all the evidence against them is fake and blame it yet again on the Russians colluding with Trump!☺

Ya just don't know who to trust~

61 posted on 12/02/2018 6:35:11 PM PST by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: bigbob

The Russians will give Democrats [and Democrats will themselves make] fake videos of their opponents carrying tiki torches and burning crosses in people’s front yards, seemingly shouting “Put ‘em in chains!”

So instead of having to repeat the lies over and over to get people o ccept them, the Democrats will call up their buddies in Silicon Valley and order custom video smears.


62 posted on 12/02/2018 7:31:39 PM PST by piasa (Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: BenLurkin

Democrat vote fraud. That is what’s killing the Republic.

* * *

Yes! Everything else we can figure out how to handle. But we can’t survive corruption from within our system by Americans.


63 posted on 12/02/2018 7:44:48 PM PST by poconopundit
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: jazusamo
Don't worry, we got this covered. We have our best people on it.
64 posted on 12/02/2018 7:57:07 PM PST by Wally_Kalbacken
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: All

USA news (93%) of it is the biggest threat to USA elections. Additionally the completely un-validated voting system. Finally the 40$ of USAians who are completely consumed by delusionary illusion. And growing...


65 posted on 12/02/2018 7:57:50 PM PST by veracious (UN=OIC=Islam ; Dems may change USAgov completely, just amend USConstitution)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: jazusamo

Yeh sure.


66 posted on 12/02/2018 8:17:59 PM PST by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight yourr way back to the rifle you should never have dropped)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: jazusamo

The audio portion of this technology has existed for awhile. I remember going to websites offering this tech off the shelf just a few years ago. Throw in audio too and it is a very dangerous combination.


67 posted on 12/02/2018 8:52:41 PM PST by abigkahuna (How can you be at two places at once when you are nowhere at all?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: jazusamo

Bookmark to read later.


68 posted on 12/02/2018 10:31:46 PM PST by NetAddicted (Just looking)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dragnet2
If fact, if it were revealed people like Acosta was a state operative, I would not be surprised a bit.

The media IS the deep state.

69 posted on 12/03/2018 5:51:52 AM PST by UCANSEE2 (Lost my tagline on Flight MH370. Sorry for the inconvenience.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: onedoug
Why is it that our enemies seem so far advanced in their cyber technologies?

This article is just hand-wringing to further the "russians elected Trump meme". You can bet the US has the capabilities mentioned, and more.

70 posted on 12/03/2018 6:57:09 AM PST by zeugma (Power without accountability is fertilizer for tyranny.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: ClearCase_guy

LOL true


71 posted on 12/03/2018 11:35:47 AM PST by Sontagged ("Let the dead bury their dead" - Jesus)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: jazusamo

Honestly, public discourse in the West is so saturated with lies - well over 90% of what appears in the papers or on TV is false or misleading - that “deep fakes” aren’t going to make a difference.

Almost all our news is already “deep fake” news.


72 posted on 12/03/2018 1:12:22 PM PST by thoughtomator (Number of arrested coup conspirators to date: 2)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dragnet2

Operation Mockingbird is still a thing.


73 posted on 12/03/2018 1:13:03 PM PST by thoughtomator (Number of arrested coup conspirators to date: 2)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: thoughtomator

You make a fair point, it’s hard to know if what is being reported is true.


74 posted on 12/03/2018 1:17:39 PM PST by jazusamo (Have You Donated to Keep Free Republic Up and Running?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 72 | View Replies]

To: Mr. Jeeves

“All they needed was some HD video to back up Ford’s claims...and everyone would have believed her. :)”

I still can’t believe how many DID believe her anyway! It is amazing how many American men actually seem to believe that somehow women are far less likely to lie than men, it is an absurd idea. Men are just more likely to believe a woman’s lie than women are to believe a man’s lie.


75 posted on 12/04/2018 2:43:15 PM PST by RipSawyer
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: jazusamo

Oh no. The world is going to go back to the way it was a few decades ago without reliable omnipresent surveillance. What will we do!?!?!?


76 posted on 12/05/2018 12:56:52 AM PST by jarwulf
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: jazusamo

That’s not even new technology. Its been around for a few decades. Only the quality is getting better.


77 posted on 12/05/2018 4:34:47 AM PST by PrairieLady2
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: onedoug

Over 20 yrs ago, a friend showed me a program that with a mere 5 min recording of your voice, it could reproduce that same voice, even matching your voiceprint, and have you say virtually anything. It would sound like you, and if analyzed it would match your voiceprint.

It made me doubt those fuzzy osama bin ladin videos that would pop up from time to time talking trash about the U.S.

I find it hard to believe that our ‘alphabet agencies’ haven’t made use of it - perhaps even stealing it from the owner, and classifying it so no-one else could use it.


78 posted on 12/08/2018 2:08:46 PM PST by KIDFOH
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-78 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson