On one hand, the feature could be seen as a natural evolution of other face swapping tech. On the other hand, it could have some very unpleasant repercussions. We’ve already seen how deepfake technology can be used for harm, so making the tech more accessible seems like a bad idea. As TechCrunch points out, the feature also raises concerns about what ByteDance could do with sensitive biometric data.

It’s unclear if this feature will ever be released to Douyin or TikTok users (together the apps have 1.5 billion downloads). The code was found in both apps by an Israeli research firm Watchful.ai, but TikTok reportedly told TechCrunch that the deepfake feature is “definitely not a function in TikTok, nor do we have any intention of introducing it.” TikTok later told TechCrunch that it was removing the inactive code fragments to eliminate any confusion.

Engadget has reached out to ByteDance for confirmation and comment.

According to Axios, Facebook is spending “six figures” to help Reuters make the course available internationally as part of the Facebook Journalism Project. The material is currently available in English, French, Spanish and Arabic, with the news agency planning to translate into at least 12 more languages, including German and Japanese, down the road. Moving into 2020, the two will also co-host events and panels related to the topic.

While Facebook doesn’t have the best track record when it dealing with deepfakes, it has been openly considering alternate approaches. In September, the social media giant partnered with several other companies and universities to create an initiative called the Deepfake Detection Challenge (DFDC). Facebook said it would spend more than $10 million as part of the project to create videos researchers could use to test tools they create to spot manipulated videos. However, it seems the company is aware it still needs to do more to address the problem.

“We need to work across industries to better identify and address manipulated media,” said Julia Bain, who works on integrity partnerships at Facebook. “Partnering with Reuters to launch this free e-learning course is an important step to help journalists spot this type of content so we can stop the spread of misinformation online.”

The company says it’s taking this step, since it needs to consider the potential damage deepfakes shared on Twitter can cause. Before it rolls out the new rules, though, it will run a feedback period to give users the chance to help the company refine them before they go live.

More and more tech giants and social networks have been taking a stand against and finding ways to combat deepfakes, which could be used as a tool for disinformation campaigns and to create content that can harm people’s lives. Amazon has recently joined Facebook’s Deepfake Detection Challenge that aims to create open source tools organizations and governments can use to spot altered media. Microsoft is also part of the initiative, along with MIT and the University of Oxford, among others. Twitter itself banned deepfake porn in 2018.

We’re always updating our rules based on how online behaviors change. We’re working on a new policy to address synthetic and manipulated media on Twitter – but first we want to hear from you.

— Twitter Safety (@TwitterSafety) October 21, 2019

The video speaks to Meskimen’s talent as an impressionist but also to the capability of deepfake software. It proves how well the tech is able to blur the line between what’s real and what isn’t. Though, it still takes a ton of work. According to Sham00k, the full video took just over 250 hours of work, 1,200 hours of footage, 300,000 images and close to one terabyte of data to create.

Tech companies and lawmakers have taken note. Researchers are developing tools to spot deepfakes, and Google released 3,000 deepfakes in an attempt to further those efforts. Facebook, MIT and Microsoft are working to fight the fakes. Reddit has banned AI-generated deepfake porn, and California now lets residents sue anyone who use the software to put their image in porn without consent. While everyone is up in arms over fake news, deepfakes are developing as the next frontier.

Standard deepfake detection models analyze videos frame-by-frame to spot any sign of manipulation. The new technique created by USC researchers requires far less computing power and time. It reviews an entire video all at once, which allows it to process information much quicker. It stacks frames of the video on top of one another and looks for any potential inconsistencies in how the subject of the footage moves. It could be a slight tick in how the person’s eyelids move or an odd movement during a gesture — things the researchers refer to as “softbiometric signatures.” Because most deepfake algorithms don’t fully model a person’s movements in this way, they can be dead giveaways.

The researchers used a data set of about 1,000 manipulated videos to train its tool, and it became quite adept at identifying deepfakes of major political figures and celebrities. That could provide to be quite valuable in the lead up to the 2020 presidential election. Even just simple video edits like one that appeared to show Nancy Pelosi slurring her speech have gone viral on social media. Stopping their spread before our feeds are flooded with misinformation is paramount.

Facebook is attempting to thread the needle between censoring the unquestionably altered video and allowing people to share what they want. In contrast, YouTube has opted to remove the video altogether, according to CNN. While Facebook’s approach will attempt to dispell some of the misinformation created by the video, it may be too late for that. The edited footage has already racked up millions of views on Facebook alone and has been shared by President Donald Trump (he has since deleted it), former mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani and a number of other high-profile people. The addition of a disclaimer won’t retroactively inform viewers who have already seen and shared the video.

Facebook has attempted to take a more active role in stopping the spread of fake news in recent months, cracking down on fake accounts and trying to make misinformation on controversial topics like vaccines less visible. However, the company has always been a little tepid to actually remove content. It took years for Facebook to ban Alex Jones and InfoWars from its platform despite regularly sharing false information.