When Seeing Isn't Believing: Deepfakes and the Law

Join the NYU Center for Cybersecurity and the NYU Journal of Legislation & Public Policy for a March 2nd conference on deepfakes and the law. Deepfakes are realistically altered fake videos that make a person appear to have said or done things they never did. The videos have problematic implications for individuals, companies, the proliferation of “fake news," state security, and trust in democracy.

The conference will feature a keynote, two panels, and a fireside chat. To register, please visit our Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/when-seeing-isnt-believing-deepfakes-and-the-law-tickets-85832941639.

Keynote: Kathryn Harrison, Founder & CEO, DeepTrust Alliance

Kathryn Harrison is the founder and CEO of the DeepTrust Alliance, a non-profit building the solutions and ecosystem to tackle deepfakes and misinformation. This keynote will provide an introduction to and technical overview of deepfakes. What are they? Where did they come from? What role do they play in the larger ecosystem of misinformation?

Panel 1: The Front Line: Big Tech, Fake News, and Private Industry's Deepfake Detection Problem

This panel will focus on the actors on the front line: platforms and media organizations that publish and disseminate deepfakes. Companies like Facebook and Reddit have issued policies to address manipulated media — but how will these policies work in reality? Do companies have the technical capability to confidently identify fake videos? Are internal policies enough or do they require government intervention? This panel will feature speakers from both media and tech, including representatives from the Big 5 tech companies.

Moderated By: Judi Germano, Distinguished Fellow, NYU Center for Cybersecurity. Speakers Include: Saleela Salahuddin, Cybersecurity Policy Lead, Facebook; Till Daldrup, Training Coordinator, Wall Street Journal; Andrew Gulley, Technical Research Manager, Google-Jigsaw; Corin Faife, Journalist, WITNESS.

Fireside Chat: A Terrorist's Tool: Global Implications of False Information & Deepfakes for National and International Security and Human Rights

This discussion will address how terrorist organizations have used, and continue to use, false information and deepfakes to advance their agendas, threaten global security and impinge upon human rights; as well as current efforts and potential solutions and opportunities for global collaboration to address these concerns.

Moderated By: Matthew Ferraro, Counsel, WilmerHale. Speakers Include: Mounir Ibrahim, VP of Strategic Initiatives, Truepic, Inc.; Emerita Torres, Director of Policy Research and Programs, The Soufan Center.

Panel 2: Legislative Solutions, Individual Rights, and the Question of Government Intervention

What larger legislative, regulatory, and legal problems do deepfakes pose? Three states have already enacted legislation regulating deepfake videos, and eleven bills are currently pending before Congress. This panel will discuss those and other approaches to regulating deep fakes. It will address the thorny legal issues involved, such as privacy, free speech, and civil liberties.

Moderated By: Randy Milch, Co-Chair, NYU Center for Cybersecurity. Speakers Include: Ben Wizner, Director, ACLU Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project; Lindsay Gorman, Fellow for Emerging Technologies, Alliance for Securing Democracy; Rob Volkert, VP of Analysis, Nisos; Noah Stein, Assistant Attorney General in the Bureau of Internet & Technology, N.Y. State Attorney General’s Office

This event is free of charge. Both breakfast and lunch will be served.

3.0 credits of New York State CLE in the Areas of Professional Practice category are available. This event is appropriate for both newly admitted and experienced attorneys.