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Deepfakes: can’t believe your eyes?

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Oliver Lock outlines some possible legal routes to stop the misuse of deepfake technology
  • The legal industry and beyond are grappling with how to tackle deepfakes, a technology that is rapidly evolving and can have an insidious impact on reputation and credibility.
  • There are current legal routes available, from privacy laws in the UK to image rights in the US that are arguably fit for purpose to tackle deepfakes.
  • However, it will take the combination of legal, technical, and societal efforts to prevent the creation and spread of deepfakes for nefarious purposes.

Former US president Donald Trump was arrested in New York on 4 April. However, you may be forgiven for initially thinking that he had been arrested two weeks earlier when videos emerged online appearing to show Trump yelling at and fighting off NYPD officers or, in another, breaking free from police officers while Melania and Donald Trump Jr shout in protest of his arrest. These videos have been viewed many millions of times.

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