Microsoft Corp. today launched a new tool designed to combat deepfakes.

Deepfakes are faked computer-manipulated images or videos that have been altered in hard-to-detect ways to make someone appear to have said something they didn’t or look like they were in places that they weren’t. They’re often used to defame notable people, and their widespread use on the web has become a growing concern, especially with U.S. election campaigns now getting into full swing.

The problem with deepfakes is that the technology used to create them has increasingly become more accessible and easier to use. Many deepfakes can be extremely realistic too, which makes them difficult to identify, creating an opportunity for potentially catastrophic meddling in politics and elections.

To combat deepfakes, Microsoft has launched a new “Microsoft Video Authenticator” tool that it says can analyze photos and videos to provide a “confidence score” about whether or not it has been manipulated. The tool will alert users if the image is likely to be fake, or reassure them that it’s authentic.

The Microsoft Video Authenticator has two components, including a tool built on Microsoft Azure that enables content producers to add digital hashes and certificates to their images that exist as metadata wherever it appears online. There’s also a reader, which can exist as a browser extension or something else, that can check the certificates and match the hashes to verify if an image is real. This lets people know with a “high degree of accuracy” that a certain image is authentic and hasn’t been changed, Microsoft said.

“Disinformation comes in many forms, and no single technology will solve the challenge of helping people decipher what is true and accurate,” Microsoft’s Tom Burt, corporate vice president of customer security and trust, and chief Scientific Officer Eric Horvitz wrote in a blog post. “The fact that they [the deepfakes] are generated by AI that can continue to learn makes it inevitable that they will beat conventional detection technology. However, in the short run, such as the upcoming U.S. election, advanced detection technologies can be a useful tool to help discerning users identify deepfakes.”

When it comes to innovation there are always bad guys that attempt to abuse new technologies, while the good guys try to come up with ways to fight that abuse, Constellation Research Inc. analyst Holger Mueller told SiliconANGLE.

“Microsoft is trying to battle deepfakes with new technology, but its new tool requires using Microsoft Azure,” Mueller said. “That dependency may be good news for some, but it certainly won’t be good news for all. Expect other infrastructure-as-a-service vendors or ‘good guys’ to throw their hats in the ring. With the upcoming U.S. elections. there is certainly a key event ahead.”

Microsoft said the new tool is part of its Defending Democracy Program, which is an initiative that aims to fight disinformation, protect voting and secure election campaigns.

Image: Microsoft