The rise of deepfake technology has allowed those in-the-know to make people say or do whatever they want. While some innocently use the tech to replace actors in movies, others face-replace unbeknownst women into explicit content. The technology is also making its way to social media with Tiktok deepfake videos pushing bigoted rhetoric without consequence.
Racist trolls create Tiktok deepfake videos
Reported by Media Matters, Tiktok accounts are publishing videos created with deepfake AI. These videos create a completely fake face to say whatever they want it to. On Tiktok, deepfakes are spreading bigoted, alt-right rhetoric.
In all of these videos, AI-powered faces are claiming to be “transracial”. “Transracial” is a term often used by the far-right to mock transgender people. The Tiktok videos are far from subtle as well.
One video incudes an AI-generated white man with an Indian voice. With an Indian voice, the man says: “I am trapped in a white devil body, assigned body at birth without consent. I identify as Indian and I wish people would be respectful of this”.
As pointed out by Tiktok user Tofology, the face used is a very popular AI face. In other videos, the same face speaks fluent Spanish. In another, he speaks Hebrew. However, the Tiktok deepfake is just being bigoted.
The racist deepfake isn't an isolated incident. An older white man claims he is Korean and belongs in Korea. A black woman says “I identify as a white person”. These videos are purpose-built to invalidate the lives of transgender people.
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Against terms and service
The create of Tiktok deepfake accounts is against the social media website’s terms of service. Hate speech and “synthetic” content is barred from the platform. However, the sheer amount of bigoted content being spread onto the service is rapidly increasing.
Unfortunately, while not perfect, these deepfake videos are convincing enough to fool Tiktok users. The telltale signs of deepfake technology are there — dead eyes, stiff skin — and completely generated faces offer further inconsistencies. However, in the frantically fast swathe of Tiktok consumption, many will not notice.
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