Facebook renews policies, bans deepfake videos ahead of US elections; satirical content exempted

WASHINGTON: Facebook will ban deepfake videos ahead of the US elections but the new policy will still allow heavily edited clips so long as they are parody or satire, the social media giant said on Tuesday.

Deepfake videos are hyper-realistic doctored clips made using artificial intelligence or programs that have been designed to accurately fake real human movements.

In a blog published following a Washington Post report, Facebook said it would begin removing clips that were edited — beyond for clarity and quality — in ways that “aren’t apparent to an average person” and could mislead people.