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How Morphing/Deepfake Technology (AI)/Synthetic Media Can Be Used For Mis/Dis-Information To Support A Narrative – A Case Study

June 22, 2023

Presently (June 2023) there is a video trending on social media with a byline that says “The baby cried in his sleep and made movements as if he had a tablet in his hand. These moments cause anxiety in the parents” (1) which is gaining traction among numerous individuals associated with the youth anti-tech movement.

Currently, at the time of writing this posting, the video, presumably originating from China, has garnered 25 million views, 10.4 thousand retweets, 47 thousand likes, and 2,828 comments. Many of the comments highlight that this video proves the detrimental effects of cell phones and tablets on young individuals.

We decided to assess the authenticity of the video, leading us to conclude that it is possible that this video has been tampered with or altered. Consequently, we urge viewers to approach this video with the utmost suspicion. Here are some observations to support our position:

  • When you watch the video closely and use a video viewing program to slow it down and zoom in on the pixelation, you will see clear distortion/blurring in and around the hands “only” which is not apparent anywhere else in the video, to be fair this can also be caused by the compression of the video posted, but would expect such distortion throughout the video.  However, this distortion/blurring is also consistent with a video being morphed or digitally altered.

  • When you look at this screen shot you will see that there is a clear unnatural distortion of the right wrist. Once again, such distortion can be associated with the compression of the video or associated with a video being morphed or digitally altered

  • Towards the end of the video, you will see that the fingers on the right-hand meld together almost as if it is a webbed hand.  Again, such distortion can be associated with the compression of the video or associated with a video being morphed or digitally altered

  • In the last screen shot you will see that the index finger on the left hand is abnormally long and pointed when compared to the other fingers, and the face has been digitally changed. Again, such distortion is associated with a video being morphed or digitally altered.

The above-noted video that has been trending on social media, showcasing a baby seemingly using a tablet while sleeping, should be approached with skepticism, and deemed suspicious. Our dig into the authenticity of the video has revealed several key pieces of concern that strongly indicate, not necessarily prove, the use of morphing/deepfake technology for mis/disinformation purposes to support a narrative. If the original video that is less compressed is made available, it could change our position on its authentication but until that time we remain suspicious.

Given these findings, it is imperative to exercise caution and critical thinking when encountering content of this nature. The widespread endorsement and propagation of this video, particularly by individuals with anti-tech sentiments, highlights the potential for morphing technology to support a narrative or agenda. Here’s a great article we wrote to help identify the use of morphing/deepfake technology https://thewhitehatter.ca/blog/how-to-spot-a-deepfake/

As responsible digital citizens, it is crucial to remain vigilant and employ fact-checking measures before accepting and sharing online content. Morphing technology poses significant challenges to our ability to discern truth from fiction, emphasizing the importance of digital literacy education, and critical thinking in today’s onlife world.

UPDATE June 26th 2023:

It appears that our original posting has garnered lots of discussions, and one of the fair criticisms is that we used a poor recording to conduct our original authenticity analysis of the video.  

Thanks to one specific poster on Twitter @lorgair, we were also able to locate a far better-quality “non-mirrored” or “resized” video, where we found further discrepancies (artifacts) that lead us to believe that the video may have been altered.

It should be noted that the attached screenshots from this second video are magnified to assist in seeing the digital artifacts located, and therefore not as clear as the video. It should also be noted that the below-noted artifacts can easily be missed when watching the video in real-time.

Pic #1:

In this screen capture, you can clearly see wrinkles on the left wrist

Pic #2:

As the wrist starts to turn you can still clearly see the wrinkles in the left wrist

Pic #3:

As the wrist continues to turn you can still clearly see wrinkles in the left wrist

Pic #4

When the wrist has been turned palm up, wrinkles are gone

Pic #5

The skin tone of the right arm and head above the arm is a different color than the skin tone of the face below the right arm

Pic #6:

Different colored chin and mouth do not line up anatomically with the head above the right arm (off center and down to the left)

Pic # 7

Again, different colored chin and mouth don’t line up anatomically with the head above the right arm (off center and down to the left)

Pic #8

Again, different colored chin, mouth, and left eye do not line up anatomically with the head above the right arm (off center and down to the left)

Pic #9

The left-hand thumb casts a clear black outline/halo as it moves behind the left side of the chin, which suggests that whatever the digital compositing process used it was not perfectly executed and could only be clearly seen when viewing frame by frame.

NOTE: It took us about 1.5 hrs to review 12 seconds of 480K video, frame by frame, to write about our above-noted observations. 

Update June 27th, 2023

After the video spawned over 25 million views, tens of thousands of retweets, and 47 thousand likes from people who used it to support the “addictiveness” of technology believing it was true, the video has been taken down given its questionable authenticity. Love the fact that this article was the catalyst!

Digital Food For Thought

The White Hatter

References:

https://twitter.com/TansuYegen/status/1671497609377116160
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