US bolstering deepfake crackdown

CyberScoop reports that increasingly prevalent deepfake threats have prompted the White House to strengthen efforts at identifying digitally altered media. Watermarking computer-generated content is under consideration for countering deepfakes, recent examples of which include a fraudulent image of an explosion at the U.S. Department of Defense and a phony audio message of President Joe Biden discouraging Democratic voter participation in the New Hampshire primary polls, said Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology Anne Neuberger at a Washington Post Live event. "Companies are looking at and need to do more to build the technology to identify what are deepfakes," noted Neuberger, who also called upon Congress to advance deepfake-combating legislation. Meanwhile, the Biden administration has also tackled the development of feasible technologies to counter artificial intelligence-powered robocalls in a closed door meeting with stakeholders as part of its efforts against deepfakes, according to a White House spokesperson.