Youtube Fakes

Recently, channels have popped up on Youtube that are deep fakes. A good example is the channel Conway Media. If you didn't take the time to read the description of Conway Media, you'd think it was George Conway* speaking in all their videos.

* George Conway is the ex-husband of Kellyanne Elizabeth (née Fitzpatrick) Conway, who served as Senior Counselor to the President in the first presidency of Donald Trump from 2017 and 2020.

But read the description of Conway Media and you'll see:

Disclaimer: Conway Media is an independent commentary and analysis channel and is not affiliated with George Conway or any organization associated with him. Our content is inspired by George Conway’s publicly available statements and perspectives and is presented for educational and analytical purposes only. We may use AI generated narration, visuals, or editing techniques to improve clarity and viewer engagement; these elements do not represent George Conway’s actual voice, likeness, or personal involvement.

When they say these elements do not represent George Conway’s actual voice, likeness. it's not true. They are virtually indistinguishable from Conway’s actual voice and likeness. I don't yet know if this channel has Conway's permission to use his voice and likeness. I asked them via email if they did. I'm waiting to hear back, but it's been a few days, so I probably won't.

I'm worried that a fake video may have content that is factual and I agree with now, but later the content slowly morphs into content that no longer represents facts and the truth.

Another channel like this is The World Faultline that uses the voice and likeness of Yanis Varoufakis, who is the former Minister of Finance of Greece. The content seems to accurately reflect the point of view of Varoufakis and they describe themselves similar to a fan club. But it's not Varoufakis speaking in their videos.

Here's a partial list of these channels. There are many more:

Youtube allows you to suppress certain channels from appearing on your Youtube Home page. Just click or tap on the three dots to the right of the video's name and select “Don't recommend channel”. The channel will no longer appear. Unfortunately, this option doesn't appear for all videos and channels.

The “Ensh*ttification” of the Internet and How to Fix It

This video from Amanpour and Company discusses how the Internet (and other things) has gotten worse for us, but it is by design. This is based on a book written by Cory Doctorow.

Watch it now