Is there a way to identify Deep Fake videos? Here's how you can identify deep fake content

Recently, a video surfaced on the internet of actress Rashmika Mandanna in which she gets into an elevator. Nothing seemed wrong about the video, but it was later revealed that the video was actually made by deepfake technology. In reality, the original video captured Zara Patel, a British Indian girl, but with the help of deepfake technology, the girl's face was morphed in order to insert Rashmika Mandana's face.

The Union Minister for Electronics & Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar responded to the video by expressing his comments on the platform X, formerly Twitter, saying that deepfakes are the newest and more dangerous form of misinformation. The minister expressed that there is a need to deal with the technology of social media platforms. The Minister also talked about the IT rules and legal obligations related to digital deception.

The deepfake technology has become common these days, and while it is astounding, it can be extremely dangerous as well.

Is it possible to detect deepfake videos? Well, fortunately, yes. While technological advancements have made it difficult to differentiate between a good deepfake video and the original one, there are still some tiny signs that one can look for to make a sound judgment. 

How to detect deepfake content?

There is no denying that it is difficult to detect deepfake videos, but some tiny signs can help the viewer spot what is original and what is not. Here are the signs you can look for in order to spot deepfake content.

Is there a mismatch in the lighting or color

This sounds like common sense. Creating a fake video with technology may have gotten easier in the present day, but thankfully, deepfake creators still face some difficulty in matching the right color tones and lighting. That is a chance for the viewer to determine if the content they are viewing is real or fake. Simply stated, deepfake videos may exhibit some inconsistency in the colors as well as the lighting. For instance, a deepfake video may have inconsistency in the lighting of the background and one falling on the face of the subject.

Look in the eyes

No matter how smart technology gets, some natural eye movements cannot be deepfaked accurately, at least till now. A deepfake video, no matter how real it may seem, may carry unnatural gaze patterns. The human brain allows for natural and smooth eye movements of a person that coordinate well with the person's actions and speech, and this natural essence can be seen in a real video and may be lacking in a deepfake one.

Does the body movement or shape appear strange to you?

If looked closely, fakeness can be spotted through body movements. Sometimes, deepfake videos may exhibit unnatural body movements or shapes. For instance, if the arms of a normal subject appear to be strange, uncoordinated, or simply do not go with the size of the body or the head, you can assume it to be a deepfake created.

Audio quality says it all

A deepfake video usually contains audio that is AI-generated. This AI-generated audio can be easier to track through keen observation.