DICT urges stronger rules on deepfakes

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is advocating for stronger social media regulations to combat the rise of deepfakes, particularly during the election season.

Deepfakes are digitally altered videos that use advanced software or face-swapping technology to create realistic but fake content. These videos can manipulate situations that never actually occurred, posing a significant threat to the integrity of elections.

In a radio interview on 15 March, DICT Undersecretary Jeffrey Ian Dy expressed concern about the growing use of deepfakes and highlighted the issue’s importance in international discussions.

“It’s always discussed in the international community whether there should be a move against AI-generated content, especially after elections in other countries like the United States and the United Kingdom in 2024,” Dy said. “We are always talking about how to control deepfakes during election periods.”

Dy emphasized that regulating deepfakes may be more achievable during election periods but acknowledged that no successful model has yet been developed to completely eliminate false videos. He cited Singapore’s approach as a potential model for the Philippines.

“In Singapore, if a candidate denies involvement in a deepfake video, and it’s found to be fake, it should be immediately removed from social media,” Dy explained.

“But if it’s proven that the candidate used the video to harm their opponent, they could face perpetual disqualification.”

He added that DICT is pushing for social media regulations and is waiting for Congress to grant them the authority to block harmful content.

“If Congress gives us the power to block content, we will enforce it. For example, if Facebook fails to take down a harmful post even after an order, we will step in to block it,” Dy said.

Additionally, the Cybercrime Investigation Coordinating Center has acquired new software to detect AI-generated videos, which are shared with both public and private fact-checkers. Dy urged the public to stay vigilant and use free online tools to help identify potential deepfakes by analyzing video links for their likelihood of being fake.