Today, billions of people actively use social media. Some people post many photos, videos, and stories publicly. In our digital age, there are many people who are influencers, make a living from social media or are content creators. But how safe is it to constantly share photos with everyone?
Even if we don’t share it constantly or at all, we can be at risk just with our profile picture. This is because deepfake videos can be created very well using only your photo. Sharing just one photo can trigger a chain reaction and put you in a difficult situation.
Nowadays, most photos and videos are not accepted as evidence in any crime unless they are from official or security cameras. This is because the videos that are prepared are so easy and professional. They can do whatever they want with just one photo of yours, publish it, and then demand money to have it removed. They make it so incomprehensible that you might say, "Did I really have a video like that?" If you’re thinking, "Everyone’s sharing their photos, nothing’s happening, so why would they use mine?", well, that’s entirely up to them. Because they don’t need to be hackers or anything like that to create deepfake videos.
In 2024, an employee in Hong Kong was tricked by a deepfake video of the company’s CFO into approving a $25 million wire transfer. Even though this event happened a few years ago, we are now facing far more advanced technology, and privacy is the most important thing protecting us.
Between 2023 and 2024 alone, deepfake scams increased by more than 200% worldwide. According to a report by cybersecurity firm Trend Micro, attackers can now carry out these attacks using free and easily accessible platforms that don’t require expertise.
Don’t share very clear photos of yourself with everyone. When an unknown number calls, don’t speak before the other person can intervene, as your voice could also be used. Perhaps in a few years, people will be afraid to even share their photos, and even the simplest photos will be manipulated and spread on the internet simply because it’s easy to do so.
Moreover, now scammers are creating fictional characters and using them. Criminals create new identities by combining real information belonging to different people. This realistic, AI-generated identity is being used in bank loan applications and money laundering operations. This threat is so significant that, for example, the Saudi Arabian Central Bank has temporarily suspended remote bank account openings after identifying more than 4.8 million suspicious identities.
Unfortunately, there is still no way to protect our photos, audio recordings, and videos other than not sharing them or only sharing them with our closest friends and family. Moreover, 84% of people no longer feel that a convincing video is real evidence. And one in ten people report that fake deepfake images of them have been created without their consent. It has been determined that deepfake photos of young girls are being used for blackmail and revenge purposes even in schools.
From now on, approaching every photo and video with skepticism, not trusting anyone directly, and protecting our privacy are the most important steps we can take. We are entering an era in the digital world where we cannot trust our eyes and ears; therefore, we must find new ways to establish trust.
Top comments (0)