China is setting ground rules to prevent the misuse of deep synthesis technology, including deepfakes and virtual reality (VR).
Anyone using these services must label images/videos accordingly and refrain from using the technology for activities that violate local regulations. Effective from January 10 next year, the new law requires anyone offering deep synthesis technology and services, including deepfakes and virtual reality, to label those images or videos accordingly.
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The Cyberspace Administration of China, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the Ministry of Public Security issued a joint statement requiring that deep synthesis technology and services such as deepfake be clearly labeled to prevent people from mistaking them for real information.
At the outset, the government agencies said the new rules would aim to protect national security and the country’s core social values, as well as safeguard the rights and interests of citizens and organizations.
They noted that while deepfake technology had improved user experience (UX), it had also been used to impersonate and spread false and harmful information that tarnished victims’ reputations. This jeopardized national security and social stability. They added that regulations were necessary to minimize such risks and promote the “healthy” development of the new technology.
The core rules would also standardize the development of deep synthesis services and ensure they comply with relevant country regulations, including data security and privacy laws.
The new rules would apply to technology that uses deep learning, virtual reality and other synthetic algorithms to create: text, images, video, audio and virtual scenes, as well as text-to-speech, voice processing, gesture manipulation, digital simulation and 3D reconstruction.
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In addition to using deep synthesis services to produce and disseminate information where prohibited by local laws, the new regulations also outline the need to implement a real identity verification system as well as other management systems, such as user registration, algorithm review mechanisms, data security, emergency response, and ethics review. In addition, technical security measures must be established.
These management rules and service agreements must be disclosed. Users should also establish mechanisms to deal with rumors in a timely manner, if the use of deep synthesis services is used to publish or disseminate false information, relevant government departments must also be informed.
Information source: zdnet.com
