Thursday, January 21, 2021

Hard Drive Recovery Associates: Everything There Is To Know About Deepfakes

Irvine, California-based Hard Drive Recovery Associates is reaching out to the community to announce that a new blog post, titled ‘Rolling in the Deep(fake),’ is now available on their website. In this article, the experts dive into the topic of Deepfakes, a synthetic media in which a person in an existing image or video is replaced with someone else's likeness, has taken over the internet as the newest form of parody entertainment.

"With Deepfakes surfacing all throughout the internet, and more people wondering what this buzz is all about, we figured it was about time we touched upon one of the hottest topics of the moment," says Jack Edwards, a representative of Hard Drive Recovery Associates. He continues, "You have most likely already come across one of these videos already, whether it is Jon Snow apologizing for the underwhelming finale episode of Game of Thrones or Steven Buscemi attending the Golden Globes wearing what people remember as Tilda Swinton’s gown. These videos have been our exposure to Deepfake, the 21st century equivalent to photoshopped pictures. But if you are wondering what these videos are exactly, and how they are made, then our new article may be of significant interest to you."

In their most recent article, the Hard Drive Recovery Associates take on the challenge of explaining the ins and outs of Deepfakes in simple and clear terms for their readers, starting with how they are made. These videos are made possible through artificial intelligence that produces fake images of events that have never happened. It takes a lot of resources to produce a Deepfake, and any standard or desktop PC will not suffice for the job. A high-end desktop armed with professional-grade graphic cards and storage capacity is required since one Deepfake video alone may need at least 40,000 high definition pictures of the person that is to appear in the video. Fast computing power is also a necessity, otherwise the processing of a two minutes long video could end up taking over a month.

Edwards says, "Provided that you account for all of this, it is actually not difficult to make Deepfake videos, thanks to free apps and programs that allow even ordinary people to make them. Cost-free source codes and machine-learning algorithms are abundant online."

Once completed, the quality of these Deepfake videos can be enough to convince even the most skeptical of viewers, who can be fooled easily enough unless they are actively looking for the telling differences. When it comes to spotting a Deepfake, Hard Drive Recovery Associates states that older Deepfakes can be identified by a lack of blinking of the person appearing on the video. Today, this is no longer the case, as the technology has advanced and left these drawbacks in the past. When it comes to spotting a Deepfake, it all comes down to being vigilant and actively looking out for the small tells that give away these videos.

Edwards says, "With how good these videos have become over the past year, you may be concerned that they may have a significant impact in the world as a whole, as they are often made to embarrass, intimidate and destabilize individuals. This is not really the case, however, as even though it can be hard for an unexpecting individual to spot a Deepfake, many countries have their own intelligence agencies that employ state-of-the-art security imaging systems. In the big scheme of things, the truth will most certainly always surface."

Furthermore, the AI used to produce Deepfakes is also what can stop this surging trend. The AI has been proven to be effective in detecting Depfakes that feature celebrities because of millions of hours of available footage. Technology firms are now looking into how detection systems can spot Deepfakes, whether or not they feature a known personality. There is also talk of having an online ledger system on a blockchain that will house original copies of videos, audio and photos so that any file can be cross-checked for any manipulation.

The company's website offers more details on Hard Drive Recovery Associates and their services. Interested parties may also reach out to Jack Edwards to follow up on any inquiries via email or phone, though they can also get in touch with the company through the contact form on their site. They may also visit the company's social media pages to interact with them and stay up to date on their latest news.



source https://www.pressadvantage.com/story/40179-hard-drive-recovery-associates-everything-there-is-to-know-about-deepfakes

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