Risk governance and the rise of deepfakes

Deepfakes first came to prominence less than five years ago. Since then, they have surged in quantity and quality, becoming both a source of viral entertainment and of concern about the dark side of digital life. In this article, we provide a risk governance perspective on the deepfake phenomenon, arguing that it warrants greater attention. We begin by distinguishing between three levels of harm that synthetic media can lead to: individual, organisational and societal. We then provide a simple framework for prioritising among these harms. Finally, we highlight the technical, legal and wider societal efforts that are under way to protect against deepfake risks.