AI Misuse, Fraud & Deepfakes
What Are AI Deepfakes? How to Protect Your Family
हिंदी में पढ़ेंA deepfake is an image, recording or video altered or generated to make someone appear to do or say something they did not. It may look convincing, so do not judge truth by appearance alone. Check the source and context, verify important claims independently and avoid forwarding harmful material.
A parent group receives a video that appears to show a school official announcing an unexpected closure. Instead of passing it on, a parent checks the school's official notice channel and calls a known school number. The identity shown in a video is not enough to confirm an announcement.
Is every edited picture a deepfake?
No. A labelled cartoon or harmless creative effect is different from deceptive impersonation. However, ordinary editing, a misleading caption or an old clip can also cause harm. You do not need to prove which technology was used before treating a suspicious message carefully.
Ask what the content is trying to make you do: send money, reveal information, shame someone or spread panic. Pressure and urgency are reasons to slow down.
How can families verify suspicious content?
Find the original source, check the date and look for confirmation from a trusted official channel. Contact the person through an independently known number, not a contact supplied by the suspicious message.
Strange movements or mismatched lips can be clues, but their absence proves nothing. A polished recording can be false, while a poor-quality real video can look unusual. Avoid declaring someone guilty based on a clip alone.
Why should we protect ordinary photos too?
Public images may reveal faces, uniforms, names or routines that can be misused. eSafety's school-imagery guidance discusses these identifying clues and safer responses to manipulated media. It is practical background, not an Indian reporting service. AI-S16: Read the source
Limit unnecessary public sharing, consider the child's wishes and review audiences. Privacy settings reduce exposure but cannot guarantee that a shared image will never be copied.
What should we do if a child is targeted?
Stay calm, reassure the child that the misuse is not their fault and report the account or content through the platform. Record safe details such as the URL, username, date and threats.
Never download, save or forward nude or sexual images involving children, including manipulated ones, to gather evidence. Seek the appropriate Indian police and cybercrime reporting help promptly; immediate danger needs emergency assistance.
At home, practise with an invented announcement: “Who issued it? Where else can we check? What action is it asking for?” Learning a verification habit is more useful than trying to spot one supposedly foolproof visual sign.
Where can you check the details?
What can you read next?
Want to check the sources?
These notes explain what was checked for the article. The date is an information check, not a publication date.
- AI-S16: Sharing school photos and videos in the age of AI and deepfakes
Australian eSafety Commissioner
Where to look: Identification clues; collect safe evidence; never save/share child sexual imagery
How it was checked: Official text retrieved
Use names, URLs, handles and times for harmful child sexual material, not copies of that material.
Next planned check: