THE Cybercrime Investigation Coordinating Center (CICC) is currently looking at some 200 reports and complaints of deepfake scams and misleading content.
CICC Executive Director Undersecretary Alexander Ramos, in a briefing in Malacanang yesterday, said some of the contents and posts are immediately taken down after they are flagged by social media platforms.
“Two hundred reports na mga links na dini-decipher pa namin, kung live pa ba iyong links na iyon o hindi because sometimes tinatanggal nila agad ng platform if they detect it. But for those that dumadating sa amin, we have around 200 reports (we are deciphering some 200 links that have been reported to us, if they are still live or not because sometimes the platform itself takes them down if they detect it. But we have around 200 reports),” Ramos said.
He said once they detect it as deepfake, the links are referred to the appropriate regulatory body like the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Commission on Elections (Comelec), and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), for proper action such as the taking down of the videos post and filing of cases.
Deepfakes are videos of a person in which the face, body or even voice have been digitally altered so they appear to be someone else, typically used maliciously or to spread false information.
Ramos said established influencers, and some famous personalities are used in deepfake videos.
Ramos said the government, including the CICC, has been intensifying the campaign against deepfake, misinformation, disinformation, and fake news, especially amid the nearing elections.
In Malacanang, the CICC yesterday signed a memorandum of agreement with the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) which recognizes the Inter-Agency Response Center (I-ARC) Hotline 1326 as the national anti-scam hotline and promotes the eGOVPH application’s e-Report function for scam reporting
A National Deepfake Task Force, to oversee the campaign, has also been formed as the government conducts a more intensified anti-scam and deepfake education campaign nationwide.
“Sa ganitong paraan ay matutulungan ang mga Pilipino na maiwasan ma-scam at malabanan ang paglipana ng fake news (This way, Filipinos can be helped to avoid scams and combat the spread of fake news),” Communications Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said in a briefing.
In the same briefing, Ramos said the government would be using an artificial intelligence (AI) application to help identify and stop deepfake.
He said P2 million had been allotted for the use of the software that was acquired from a Singaporean company which will be “regionalized” to make it more applicable and accessible to the country.
“We have to study this carefully. Mayroon kaming R&D (research and development) to see if we can duplicate it, if we have the capability of developing our own local tool. So far ngayon, bibilhin natin muna [We have to study this carefully. We have an R&D to see if we can duplicate it, if we have the capability of developing our own local tool. So far now, we will buy it],” he said,
Ramos said the tool can scan photos and videos within 30 seconds to determine if they are authentic or deepfake.
He said the application had been tested in local settings last month and would soon be available to accredited but independent stakeholders who would assist the government in the fact-checking and identification of deep fakes.
He said the accreditation process is underway for the use of the anti-deepfake application, adding that there would also be training on how to use the tool.
