When the concept of fake news entered the culture in 2016, it was hard to decipher the extent of it. Part of the problem is the concept of deepfakes, which are computer-manipulated images and videos that doctor the speech and images of people. (For example, you may have seen the video of Jennifer Lawrence that superimposes the face of fellow actor Steve Buscemi on her body as she speaks at an awards show.) If any image on the internet can be manipulated, then every piece of media you see is questionable.
Thankfully, researchers in the BU Department of Computer Science, including doctorial candidate Nataniel Ruiz and Research Assistant Professor Sarah Adel Bargal, with guidance from Dean of Arts & Sciences Stan Sclaroff, have developed an algorithm that protects images from this type of manipulation. They are now making their tool more widely available. You can read more about it, from CAS Director of Integrated Marketing Jeremy Schwab, on The Brink.
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