What Deepfakes Actually Are

While it looks like another tale of internet magic, it points to something darker stirring in the internet's depths. This story was originally published August 19, 2019. The video exists thanks to deepfake technology and while its realism is still in its infancy, it's fast becoming one of the most terrifying developments in technology. To better understand how it works and what it means the future, we peeked under the covers. A update to Virginia, U.S.A.'s law against revenge porn banning the distribution of videos and images that have been deepfaked - modified using machine learning algorithms to picture someone else - or otherwise created with the intent to "coerce, harass, or intimidate" a victim went into effect on Tuesday, per CNET.