The National Election Commission (NEC) of South Korea has reported the detection of 129 illegal posts that use AI deepfakes (fake video and audio) in the run-up to the April general election. After 19 days of surveillance, the NEC discovered that most of the deepfakes were spread on social media platforms by manipulating videos of opposing candidates, distorting some parts of their speeches, or even altering them entirely. These deepfakes are so convincing that even if the viewers pay close attention, they might believe that the candidate indeed made the statements in question. During the 2022 local elections, a fake video of President Yoon Suk-yeol endorsing a People Power Party(PPP) candidate from the Gyeongnam region was circulated, and similar cases were detected.
NEC identified and removed a total of 129 deepfakes with the help of 70 employees who monitored the system. However, compared to the private sector, NEC’s deep-fake monitoring system is not very advanced and they have limited manpower. This means that there is a possibility of a much higher number of deep-fakes related to the general election that went undetected.
To combat deep fakes, forming a coalition between the 20 big tech companies globally, such as Google shows how serious the problem is. The aim is to prevent these fake videos from undermining the fairness of elections. The companies have signed the ‘2024 AI Elections Accord’ and pledge to develop technologies that mitigate the risks of AI content. In addition, they will work together to prevent the spread of fake contents produced by AI.
Large South Korean tech companies such as Naver and Kakao have not been proactive in preventing the spread of deepfakes. They have only committed to take action if a report of deepfake case is submitted to them by NEC. These companies have a virtual monopoly on the internet in South Korea but have been passive in their public interest efforts. It is imperative that NEC establishes a cooperative system with these tech giants to ensure that deepfakes don’t influence the upcoming general election.
There has also been a spate of violations for distorting and spreading polls. National Election Survey Deliberation Commission has reported five cases of criminal manipulation of polls between ruling and opposition candidates and polls related to intra-party contests to investigative agencies. Other cases such as encouraging people to lie about their age when answering the phones for opinion polls in order to win the primary were also detected, mainly in social media group chats. The threat to elections posed by digital technology may be just beginning. NEC and the industry must take a greater sense of responsibility.
If the fair elections reflecting public opinions can not be guaranteed, it will not only bring about a democracy setback but also cause social chaos.
