Surely by now you have heard of “deep fakes.”
In their most insidious form, these are doctored videos that appear real. As technology improves, so does the ability to create convincing and deceptive videos.
The fear is that people will believe these deep fakes which will then lead to some change in attitude or behavior.
While deep fakes are interesting, we have been dealing with instances of this forever. We’ve always had the “shallow fake,” or low-effort deception.
And these can be surprisingly effective.
My favorite example is from 2005. The insurgency in Iraq was intensifying and becoming more dangerous. A militant group claimed to have captured US soldier “John Adam.” I remember seeing this photo making its way around the internet.
Of course, it looks fake now.
But in 2005, when the internet was still a pretty new thing, it gave pause. I remember scrutinizing the picture myself, thinking it must be fake, but still wondering.
Deception doesn’t always have to change minds or win the war. It can just cause angst and bureaucratic churn.
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Carrying the Gun 