How to Spot Deepfake Videos

Examining the Image

1. How to Spot Deepfake Videos Picture 1
   Look for blurring on the person's face that's not in the rest of the video. When someone's face is superimposed over someone else's, their face rarely fits perfectly. That means the video's creator will need to blur certain areas to hide the fact that the video is fake. Look closely at the person's face to see if you notice any blurring. Then, compare the face to the person's body, the background, and objects in the video to see if the face appears blurry in comparison.^[1]

   1. Their skin tone may also look different at the edges of their face.

   Tip: Their face may get especially blurry when they move something in front of it, like their hand or a coffee mug.

2. How to Spot Deepfake Videos Picture 2
   Check for double edges around the eyes, mouth, and face. Look at the eyes, eyebrows, lips, and face outline to see if you can see 2 edges. This happens when a person's face is superimposed over a face that has a noticeably different face shape. When you see these irregularities, it's likely you're looking at a deepfake.^[2]

   1. For instance, you might notice a weird outline around the person's eyes or mouth. Similarly, you might notice that their eyebrows are 2 different colors.

   Tip: You may also notice that hair and teeth are missing. When they smile, check to see if the teeth look real or not.^[3]

3. How to Spot Deepfake Videos Picture 3
   Consider if the person in the video rarely blinks. People typically blink every 2-10 seconds, and each blink takes 1/10 to 4/10 of a second. However, deepfake programs aren't able to accurately depict blinking, so you'll notice less blinking. Watch the person's eyes to see if they blink normally.^[4]

   1. Count between blinks to help you determine if it's normal.
4. How to Spot Deepfake Videos Picture 4
   Notice if the person's eyes look weird when they blink or close. Deepfake programs use existing photos of a person to create a simulation of them. However, most people aren't photographed with their eyes closed, so it's hard for the program to simulate closed eyes. Pay careful attention to the person's eyes to see if they look odd while they're closed.^[5]

   1. The eyes may look blurry, discolored, or computerized if the video is a deepfake.
5. How to Spot Deepfake Videos Picture 5
   Look for shadows and reflections that don't match up. Some deepfake videos are made by combining 2 videos. Fortunately, you may be able to spot these fakes by checking the placement of shadows and reflections. Typically, every shadow should go in the same direction, including shadows from people, buildings, and large items. Similarly, reflective surfaces like mirrors, windows, and water surfaces will show consistent reflections.^[6]

   1. This works great for videos that don't focus on a speaker's face. For instance, if you're looking at a crowd on the street, check to see that the shadows from the buildings and members of the crowd go in the same direction.
   2. Similarly, let's say you're looking at a video of a protest that allegedly got out of control. If you noticed that the storefront windows in the video showed the reflections of just 2 people while the video had a crowd of people, it may be a deepfake.
6. How to Spot Deepfake Videos Picture 6
   Make sure everything in the video looks like it's to scale. Since these videos are altered, the people, objects, and background may not match up. Look for inconsistencies, like buildings that are too big, body parts that look misshapen, and objects that look larger than usual. These can be a sign the video is a fake.^[7]

   1. As an example, you might notice that the people in a protest seem really tall compared to the buildings around them.
   2. Similarly, you may notice that a person's head looks way too big for their body.