Facebook to Ban Deepfake Videos Deemed 'Misleading'

Facebook said it will begin banning deepfake videos from its site.

The social media giant announced late Monday clips manipulated to appear realistic in ways undetected by the average user will not be allowed in an effort to curb misleading and misinformation campaigns.

"While these videos are still rare on the internet, they present a significant challenge for our industry and society as their use increases," Facebook's vice president of global policy management, Monika Bickert, said in a blog post.

The two main criteria for banning were described in the announcement as: "It has been edited or synthesized — beyond adjustments for clarity or quality — in ways that aren't apparent to an average person and would likely mislead someone into thinking that a subject of the video said words that they did not actually say," and "It is the product of artificial intelligence or machine learning that merges, replaces or superimposes content onto a video, making it appear to be authentic."

The new rules, however, will not include parody or satire videos.

The company faced criticism last year after failing to remove a doctored video of Nancy Pelosi appearing to be intoxicated. The video -- which was viewed over 3 million times -- was simply slowed down to make it seem as if Pelosi was slurring her words.

Facebook was also accused of allowing voter manipulation in the 2016 election when it permitted deepfake content from fake accounts and Russian hackers.

Concern has grown recently as deepfake videos can also be a tool for revenge porn, hoaxes and financial fraud.

Facebook said it is addressing these manipulated videos on several fronts "from investigating AI-generated content and deceptive behaviors like fake accounts, to partnering with academia, government and industry to exposing people behind these efforts."