14 DAY TRIAL // Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats received a letter from a group of bipartisan lawmakers asking for a report on the exact security implications of media content altered using deep fake technology.
The three legislators behind the initiative are House Intelligence Committee ranking member Adam Schiff (California Democrat), Rep. Stephanie Murphy (Florida Democrat), and Rep. Carlos Curbelo (Florida Republican).
They are asking in the letter addressed to the US Director of National Intelligence to receive a public report on the possibilities of malicious foreign actors using deep fake tech in both election disinformation and public trust undermining campaigns.
Their letter also asks Coats to provide recommendations of potential counter-measures which could be or have already been developed by the government or privately-held companies for the detection and deterrence of audio-, video- and image-based deepfakes.
The US lawmakers fear the United States' national security might be threatened by deepfakes
The three House representatives said that "As deep fake technology becomes more advanced and more accessible, it could pose a threat to United States public discourse and national security, with broad and concerning implications for offensive active measures campaigns targeting the United States."
Adam Schiff's letter also asks Coats to provide a detailed assessment of how foreign individuals, intelligence agencies or governments would be able to use deepfakes to hurt the United States' internal and external affairs.
Furthermore, Coats is also urged to include any other recommendations regarding the need for extra financial resources or legal authorities needed by the Intelligence Community to address this obvious threat.
The letter might have been prompted after news of Russia's massive disinformation campaign conducted during the US election from 2016, as well as evidence that deep fake doctored material can be almost indistinguishable from the real thing.
Another incident which might have precipitated the letter are the alarming statements made by both Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner and Sen. Marco Rubio regarding deep fake technology and its implications for USA's national security interests.