Numerous face swap apps are available online for download. It’s like getting your hands on CGI. While it’s entertaining to swap your face with another’s or see what your future kids would look like or replace the face on a video with yours and become a dancing sensation, there are potential dangers that come with the use of face swap apps.

These realistic fake photos and videos make use of deep fake technology – deep fake comes from the words deep learning and fake. It leverages artificial intelligence to create contents that are eerily real looking. And technology is continuously evolving, making it more and more difficult to tell that a photo or video is fake. Deepfake videos of quite several high-profile personalities like former US President Barack Obama, Tom Cruise, and Gal Gadot have surfaced on the internet.

Deepfake technology is being used by bad actors to create pornographic and explicit content without consent. And such cases are growing in numbers. Deepfake technology is also being used to create fraudulent identities. These trends will continue and can potentially lead to unbridled abuse.

Protect yourself from deep fakes. As it may be difficult to tell how photos uploaded into the apps are being stored, and if strong security measures are in place to protect them, it’s good to steer clear from using such apps. It’s also important to check the privacy settings of your social media accounts, making sure photos posted are restricted from being visible to the public. It’s always good to be cautious when posting photos on social media. And spread awareness by talking to your family and friends about it.