Deep Fake

 I don’t know about you, but I find it more and more difficult to see the devastation now being launched at Ukraine. The most poignant photo was certainly the one of the empty strollers in a city square representing all the Ukrainian children the Russians have killed so far. It brought tears to my eyes and everyone else, I’m sure.

            Like many older individuals, I remember the Vietnam War – the first televised war -- with the images of destruction and death seen daily on television. It did not impress me much – I was quite young and it was all so far away. Today, however, with the war against Ukraine things are different.

We’ve all been saddled with a pandemic which made us come to accept that all humans are interconnected because of today’s ease of information and travel. While the war against Ukraine may also be a televised war, it is much more ominous when we realize how far and quickly it is escalating.

            However, another distressing thing this war has brought to the surface is deep fakery. It means essentially changing the comments of individuals and reposting them with the help of technology on social media as the truth. Experts can spot these fakeries but they say it’s getting harder and harder to keep up with all of them.

            Some words that have been put in Zalenskyy’s and Putin’s mouths were not true but were accepted as truth by viewers. I find that terribly scary for the future. As technology continues to evolve how much of a problem will deep fakery become? I mean, innocent people could be framed with fake videos, not to mention a slew of other scenarios.

            That could essentially mean that technology may well become its own worst enemy, thus the need to be more vigilant and aware of the source of our information. I think we should make an effort to talk to young people so that they are aware of the need to question what they see on social media. The truth may not always be what is being thrown at them now and in the future.