Facebook Announces Deepfakes Ban

Facebook has announced its plan to ban "deep fakes" in advance of a House hearing on "Americans at Risk: Manipulation and Deception in the Digital Age" this week. The new policy would ban users from posting deepfakes—computer-generated, highly manipulated videos using technologies like AI—to prevent the spread of disinformation but would allow simpler forms of manipulation. Deepfakes have been used to spread disinformation about politicians, but 96% of "deep fakes" online are videos in which women's faces are superimposed into pornography without their consent. EPIC Board Member Danielle Citron testified before Congress, saying "we need a combination of law, markets, and societal resistance" to combat deepfakes and "the phenomenon is going to be increasingly felt by women and minorities."