Behind the Deepfake: 8% Create; 90% Concerned. Surveying public exposure to and perceptions of deepfakes in the UK

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Authors: Tvesha Sippy, Florence Enock, Jonathan Bright, Helen Z. Margetts

Published: 2024-07-08 00:22:51+00:00

AI Summary

This study surveys 1403 UK adults about their exposure to and perceptions of deepfakes. It finds high awareness and concern about deepfakes, particularly regarding their potential for harm, while actual exposure to harmful deepfakes was relatively low. The study highlights the need for media literacy programs and policy interventions.

Abstract

This article examines public exposure to and perceptions of deepfakes based on insights from a nationally representative survey of 1403 UK adults. The survey is one of the first of its kind since recent improvements in deepfake technology and widespread adoption of political deepfakes. The findings reveal three key insights. First, on average, 15% of people report exposure to harmful deepfakes, including deepfake pornography, deepfake frauds/scams and other potentially harmful deepfakes such as those that spread health/religious misinformation/propaganda. In terms of common targets, exposure to deepfakes featuring celebrities was 50.2%, whereas those featuring politicians was 34.1%. And 5.7% of respondents recall exposure to a selection of high profile political deepfakes in the UK. Second, while exposure to harmful deepfakes was relatively low, awareness of and fears about deepfakes were high (and women were significantly more likely to report experiencing such fears than men). As with fears, general concerns about the spread of deepfakes were also high; 90.4% of the respondents were either very concerned or somewhat concerned about this issue. Most respondents (at least 91.8%) were concerned that deepfakes could add to online child sexual abuse material, increase distrust in information and manipulate public opinion. Third, while awareness about deepfakes was high, usage of deepfake tools was relatively low (8%). Most respondents were not confident about their detection abilities and were trustful of audiovisual content online. Our work highlights how the problem of deepfakes has become embedded in public consciousness in just a few years; it also highlights the need for media literacy programmes and other policy interventions to address the spread of harmful deepfakes.

Key findings

High awareness (82.7%) and concern (90.4%) about deepfakes were found, despite relatively low self-reported exposure to harmful deepfakes (15.8%). Women reported significantly higher fears of being targeted by deepfakes than men. The public favored stricter legislation, platform accountability, and increased media literacy as solutions.

Approach

The researchers conducted a nationally representative online survey of UK adults. The survey assessed awareness, exposure to various types of deepfakes (including specific UK political deepfakes), fears, concerns, trust in online content, and perceived solutions. Logistic regressions analyzed gender and age differences in exposure and fears.

Datasets

A nationally representative survey of 1403 UK adults recruited through Prolific.

Model(s)

UNKNOWN

Author countries

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