The protection of megascience projects from deepfake technologies threats: information law aspects

Abstract

The paper examines the potential threats of the malicious use of deepfake technology to destabilize and discredit megascience projects in the global information space. The phenomenology of using artificial intelligence (AI) to create video recordings and voice messages, in which people do and say something that did not take place in reality, is considered. Special attention is paid to speech synthesis technologies based on arbitrary text and spoofing, i.e. replacing the speaker’s personality while preserving the content of the original speech message. The authors’ definition of a voice deepfake is as follows: an artificial creation of digital voice clones of a person for the purpose of intellectual or material forgery (fabrication of a pseudo-real information and communication event). A specific classification of deepfake technologies according to the types of their criminogenic use is given in the article. The authors highlight the imperfection of the Russian legislation on the legal protection of the individual voice of a person as an intangible value and on the protection of individuals from the unauthorized use of voice personal data taking into account the policy of social networks (Facebook, Twitter, TikTok) aimed at protecting users from synthesized audio and video disinformation. Based on the results of the research, a number of decisions are proposed to change the criminal and civil legislation in order to ensure the national security of the state, to protect international megascience projects, other scientific activities and individuals from the negative consequences of the potentially destructive and / or criminal use of voice deepfakes, including discrediting and defaming international megascience projects and their representatives in the media environment. The proposed legislative amendments may be used in other contexts by foreign countries and interstate associations.