YouTube now lets you take down deepfakes of yourself

Deepfakes have the poster-child of the fact that generative AI, as useful as it is, is after all a double-edged sword. As entire nations continue debating over policy to control deepfakes, tech companies have been doing their bit to make user have a little more control over where and how their facial data is used.

Google recently took a step in this direction too. YouTube, the world’s most popular video streaming platform, has now introduced a new way of reporting deepfakes. If you see your face plastered across someone else’s in a YouTube video, you can now request the platform to take it down, right from your laptop or smartphone. Read on to know more.

YouTube's crackdown on deepfakes: What you need to know

“If someone has used AI to alter or create synthetic content that looks or sounds like you, you can ask for it to be removed,” the new policy states, adding a layer of protection for people whose voices have also been used in media without their consent.

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The move, which was introduced rather silently, is a great way for creators, influencers and even celebrities to ensure that they can call out a video for being a deepfake before it spreads further – which we know is a problem these days.

Back in March this year, YouTube also introduced a new addition to its Creator Studio platform that allowed creators to disclose if content used in a video was created by AI (synthetic media).

The website is also working on more features to kerb this problem, including a crowds-sourced notes feature that will help users understand the intentions of a video with AI content, like whether it exists to spread misinformation or simply as a parody.