Manipulating photo or video content to create illusions and lead the public to misunderstand is a technique called “Deepfake,” or more broadly, the abuse of image and video editing. This kind of behavior not only has moral and legal problems, but may also have a serious negative impact on society. The following are some common manipulation methods and their possible effects： ### 1. **Image editing and synthesis** -**Cropping and stitching**: By cropping a part of a photo, or splicing elements of different photos together, false scenes or events are created. For example, synthesize photos of an event that someone has never attended with a background to create the illusion that they are involved. -**Color and light adjustment**: By adjusting the color, light, or contrast of the photo, change the atmosphere or situation of the photo to make it look more misleading. For example, adjust an ordinary photo to a dark tone, suggesting a certain negative emotion or event. ### 2. **Video editing and stitching** -**Selective editing**: By selectively editing video clips, deleting context or key information, and changing the true meaning of the event. For example, edit a clip of someone's speech to make it look like they are supporting or opposing a certain point of view, but in fact their original intention may be completely different. -**Timeline tampering**: By adjusting the timeline of the video, the events that occurred at different times are spliced together to create a false causal relationship or chronological sequence. ### 3. **In-depth forgery technology** -**Face replacement**: Use artificial intelligence technology to replace one person's face with another person's body to create a fake video. For example, replacing the face of a celebrity in an indecent video creates the illusion that they are involved. -**Speech synthesis**: Generate someone's voice through artificial intelligence to create speech they have never said before. For example, generate a false speech by a politician to mislead the public about something. ### 4. **Fake subtitles and text descriptions** -**Add misleading subtitles**: Add false or misleading subtitles to photos or videos to change their original meaning. For example, adding the subtitle “demonstration scene” to an ordinary photo implies some kind of social turmoil. -**Tampering with text description**: Change the background or context of the event by tampering with the text description of the photo or video. For example, describing an ordinary photo of a party as a “secret meeting” implies some kind of conspiracy. ### 5. **Use social media to spread** -**Fake accounts and bots**: By creating fake social media accounts or using bots, a large number of doctored photos or videos are disseminated to create false public opinion orientation. -**Use algorithms and recommendation systems**: Through the use of social media algorithms and recommendation systems, the tampered content is pushed to a specific audience to amplify its influence. ### 6. **Create false "evidence”** -**Forged documents and records**: By forging documents, records or screenshots, false evidence is created. For example, falsifying someone's chat history or email to suggest that they are involved in some kind of improper behavior. -**Use of “real” elements**: By combining false content with real elements, increase its credibility. For example, posting fake pictures or videos on real news sites makes them look more authoritative. ### 7. **Take advantage of public cognitive biases** -**Confirm bias**: Strengthen the public's misconceptions by publishing content that meets the public's existing prejudices or expectations. For example, publish doctored photos or videos to cater to the political positions or emotional needs of a certain part of the population. -**Emotional manipulation**: By publishing content with strong emotional overtones, it stimulates public anger, fear, or sympathy, thereby guiding their behavior or opinions. ### 8. **Use false "experts” or "witnesses”** -**Falsification of expert opinions**: By falsifying the identity or speech of experts, it provides “authoritative” support for false content. For example, impersonate a certain scientist or scholar and publish false research results or statements. -**Create false witnesses**: By falsifying the identity or testimony of witnesses, provide “true” evidence for false events. For example, posing as a witness to an incident and posting false testimony or photos. ### 9. **Use of "fake news" websites** -**Create fake news websites**: Create fake news reports by creating seemingly regular news websites and publishing doctored photos or videos. For example, create a seemingly authoritative news website that publishes false election results or major events. -**The use of ”fake news“ to spread**: Through the use of ”fake news" websites, false content is spread to a wider audience and its credibility and influence are increased. ### 10. **Use technical means to hide traces** -**Hide metadata**: Hide the true source or shooting time of a photo or video by deleting or tampering with the metadata of the photo or video. For example, delete the time or place information of the photo to make it look more misleading. -**Use anonymous tools**: By using anonymous tools or VPNs, hide the true identity of the published fake content and increase the difficulty of tracking. ### How to deal with these false content? 1. **Be vigilant**: When browsing social media or news, keep thinking critically and don't believe it easily.