Internal FBI emails from 2018 obtained by Motherboard reveal the agency was unequipped to detect doctored images or videos, known as “deepfakes.”
The emails reveal senior agents using Google to learn about the technology and expressing concern about what it could one day be capable of.
“I googled face swapping and learned a lot … Pls follow [redacted by FBI] closely. It could put us out of business,” wrote William McKinsey, section chief of the information technology section at the FBI, in a January 2018 email.
In one email, a member of the FBI asked someone from the FBI’s Operational Technology Division if the agency was equipped to detect a deepfake. “No,” responded the division representative, according to Motherboard.
Some members of the bureau reportedly began to question the applications of the technology beyond “trivial” matters, while others exhibited concern for readiness in terms of face swapping.
In August 2018, McKinsey wrote, “Pls follow this topic. This could require urgent action [on] our part if it is real. Is anyone working on prevention or detection. I though[t] the reaction of the Privacy Group was something else — Shut down Facebook and face recognition. Let’s discuss what if anything we should be doing about this challenge.”
A September 2018 letter sent to Daniel Coats, then-director of national intelligence, details how Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Stephanie Murphy (D-FL), and Carlos Curbelo (R-FL) believed the advent of deepfake technology could present a threat to national security as foreign agencies could use it for “malicious” purposes.
“Forged videos, images or audio could be used to target individuals for blackmail or for other nefarious purposes. Of greater concern for national security, they could also be used by foreign or domestic actors to spread misinformation,” reads the letter. “As deep fake technology becomes more advanced and more accessible, it could pose a threat to United States public discourse and national security, with broad and concerning implications for offensive active measures campaigns targeting the United States.”
The signatories to the letter asked Coats to conduct a review of the technology and deliver a report to Congress.
In subsequent years, the FBI appeared to have gained some readiness in relation to the further development of deepfake technology, identifying some strategies to counter it.
In June, the FBI issued a warning to the public about “malicious actors creating synthetic content” being used “for the purpose of harassing victims or sextortion schemes.” The agency recommended limiting posts on social media, running frequent online searches on one’s self and one’s children, and using “reverse image search engines” to locate previously posted images and videos in an effort to curb deepfakes.
“The FBI urges the public to exercise caution when posting or direct messaging personal photos, videos, and identifying information on social media, dating apps, and other online sites. Although seemingly innocuous when posted or shared, the images and videos can provide malicious actors an abundant supply of content to exploit for criminal activity,” said the FBI in the notice.
However, the agency has faced certain setbacks. For instance, a federal judge banned the FBI and the Biden administration from working with social media companies to regulate content and speech, largely due to several controversies centered around the country’s top law enforcement agency. The FBI has been increasingly accused of political bias in recent years, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
