Many experts consider shallowfakes to be bigger threats than deepfakes. (Photo credit: Unsplash)
New Delhi: The rising threats of deepfakes in this technology-driven world have put everyone on guard. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that deepfakes are the biggest threat to India. Recently, a deepfake video of PM Modi playing Garba became viral, and a couple of months ago, actress Rashmika Mandanna became a victim of deepfake.
Artificial Intelligence is continuously growing and evolving. Nowadays, it has become easy for scammers to take someone’s picture from social media platforms and morph them to produce disgusting content. While deepfakes have emerged as a threat, the danger of shallowfakes should not be ignored as well.
What is shallowfake?
Like deepfake, shallowfake is also an act of morphing people’s pictures and using them for malicious activities. But unlike deepfake, which is created by using advanced artificial intelligence (AI) software, shallowfake can be created by simply using basic editing software. One can do that even by using a tool as simple as Photoshop. And precisely because of this easier way to create them, many experts consider shallowfakes to be bigger threats than deepfakes.
Why are they called shallow?
The term ‘shallow’ implies the quality of such fakes which are lower in quality compared to deepfakes. But that also makes them more dangerous. Shallowfakes can be created and used easily, unlike the deepfakes.
A threat to reckon with
Shallowfakes have risen to the spread of misinformation in this rapidly-expanding digital environment. Moreover, with more and more people using social media platforms in today’s age, it has only become easier for scammers to resort to shallowfakes.
Also read: Explained: The dangerous threats of deepfakes
Shallowfakes are used to create a false proof of identity or address, including photo ID documents like passports, driving licences, utility bills, bank statements and national insurance cards. It is also used to create fake supporting evidence to support a claim or transaction, like contracts, agreements and invoices for services, no claims discount certificates, etc. It has become so dangerous that sometimes, the same document is reused multiple times by just altering the name, account, and address, effectively creating as many fake identities from a single template.
It is not like that shallowfakes did not take place earlier. Over the years, basic video editing tools have been used to create distorted videos and image editor applications have been used to produce morphed, inappropriate images. However, as online and offline boundaries have become blurred, digital forgery and falsification methods have developed significantly. Nowadays, despite the technological security, even the most advanced detection software is easily bypassed through simple file formatting changes like resaving an image as a PDF.
Also read: ‘Deepfakes one of the biggest threats’: PM Modi calls for responsible use of technology
How can you spot shallowfakes?
While creating shallowfakes, scammers change the font and alignments, alter the backgrounds and light sources, and colour variations. Despite that, one can still get a hint of the original media present. Sometimes, the changes are too subtle to be visually obvious. As per reports, while creating shallowfakes, scammers compare the end product with the real content and cross-check against other evidence. Sometimes, the scammers contact the source and request confirmation about some documents and the details of people.
Thankfully, the AI has improved as well, which has significantly increased the chances of detecting shallowfakes. AI along with human instinct like attention to detail, and awareness and knowledge to check the validity of what is being processed can counter this menace. Do not share your personal information on social media and keep a tab on your bank account for any fraudulent transaction. In the end, it also depends on our awareness and alertness. If we pay attention to finer details regarding our important documents and personal identity present on digital platforms, we can curb the rising menace of shallowfakes.
