78% of Dutch consumers doubt the authenticity of content they see, listen to or read more than before
77% think trust in media is declining due to deepfakes
Utrecht, 8 June 2023 - Research by KnowBe4 among 500 Dutch consumers shows that the vast majority of them (87%) are concerned about the malicious applications of deepfakes; the collective name for images, sounds and texts created by artificial intelligence software. These include applications such as fraud and deception, hate speech and spreading disinformation. At a time when deepfakes are becoming more common, 78% of Dutch consumers doubt the authenticity of the content they see, listen to or read more than before. This also seems to have an impact on trust in the media: 77% of Dutch consumers think this is declining.
Majority of consumers think deepfakes can influence them
The technology that makes it possible to create deepfakes is becoming increasingly sophisticated. As a result, deepfakes today are increasingly realistic and hardly distinguishable from real video, audio or written content. The majority of Dutch consumers (61%) therefore estimate that they are unable to recognise deepfakes. 67% also think it is quite plausible that someone can influence them, while 62% say they have never noticed and 25% say they are not sure.
Banning consumers from making and using deepfakes
Concern about the uses of deepfakes and the low confidence the Dutch have in being able to recognise deepfakes themselves are arguments for restricting the use and making of deepfake technology. For instance, a whopping 88% of respondents think it is important to regulate the creation and use of deepfakes. Similarly, 78% think the use and creation of deepfakes should be banned specifically for consumers.
Jelle Wieringa, Security Awareness Advocate at KnowBe4: "The technology to create deepfakes has become more and more accessible and better over the years. We are now at a point where anyone, including cybercriminals, can create realistic deepfakes. Here, existing cyber attacks, such as Business Email Compromise or phishing attacks, can be made even more believable. Think of sending a realistic-sounding Voice message to an employee via WhatsApp in order to extract information. As the technology against deepfakes is still developing, it is important that people are educated about the threats posed by deepfakes, so that cybercriminals who use deepfakes in their attacks are less likely to be successful. This is an important task for employers and governments."
