WHAT ARE “DEEPFAKES” AND HOW CAN YOU SPOT THEM?
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eepfakes, or deep fakes, are manipulated videos, images or audio produced by sophisticated artificial intelligence. They use falsified images and sounds that appear to be real. But don’t be fooled: Deepfakes are the result of AI. The term deepfake combines the terms “deep learning” and “fake.” “Deep learning” is a set of algorithms that can learn and make intelligent decisions on their own. This is a dangerous new twist in the world of “fake news” and misinformation. Deep learning programs produce very
real-looking counterfeits by studying photographs and videos of a target person from multiple angles. Then these programs can copycat behavior and speech patterns to make a video look like it has not been altered. Deepfakes are by known foreign influence campaigns using social media to polarize our dialogue and to defame people. According to The Guardian, about 26% of these campaigns targeted the U.S. and 74% obscured readily verifiable facts. But deepfakes go beyond hitting
public figures. They can be — and often are — pornographic, taking revenge porn to a new level. Sensity AI estimates that 96% of all of the deepfakes in 2019 were pornographic. Almost all of those mapped faces from female celebrities on to porn stars.
And as always, if you are viewing a video on social media or a website that is pushing a political agenda, be suspicious. If you are not seeing the video on media that is widely accepted as credible, it may well be a deepfake. How to Identify deepfakes:
Several tech companies, such as Facebook and Microsoft, have taken initiatives to detect and remove deepfake videos. But we must all remain vigilant in detecting them ourselves. There are some clues in the videos that can tip us off.
Look closer at the video or photo. Look for any slight visual aspects that are off — anything from the ears or eyes not matching to fuzzy borders (Continued on page 30)
OCTOBER LUNAR READING ‘Spot little sparks of magic in your life’
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e begin and end October in the same way: Through the energy of a full moon. Our first full moon occurs on the first and is named the Harvest Moon, located in the fiery sign of Aries. Aries are known to have short fuses and full moons are times when emotions run high so if you find yourself in a tense situation, do what you can to find compromise. A little boost of compromise can be found now because the sun is located in the balanced sign of Libra. Libras are known for their beauty, elegance and charm. They are known to make fair decisions because they can see both sides of a coin. Sometimes they go back and forth too much in their minds, weighing the pros and cons over and
over so much that they end up doing nothing. Trust your decision-making, Libra! This month we get a Mercury in retrograde, which begins on Oct. 13 and lasts about 3 weeks. When Mercury is retrograde, there tend to be mix-ups in communication and setbacks with technology. Mercury will begin retrograding in the sign of Scorpio. This time will be best to reevaluate our circumstances from the deepest levels of our being. It’s a time to acknowledge wounds from our past so they can be brought to the surface, healed and released. Oct. 16 brings in the energy of a Libra new moon just in time for Sweetest Day which can provide a new cycle in romance for those looking for love. If
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you aren’t in a relationship and want to be, this is a good time to set your intentions toward finding new love in your life. The cosmos this year may help Halloween feel especially spooky. A rare Blue, Hunter, Full Moon will light the night sky. This full moon will be located in Taurus while the sun is in Scorpio at a time in our year when, it is said, the veils between dimensions run thin, because it’s the time of the year that deals with the transformation of life to death and back to life. As chaotic as the world has become, use the energy of this full moon to spot little sparks of magic in your life. And when thinking of all the ghouls that may surround you, I will leave
October 2020 · vol 6 · Issue #10
you with a quote by novelist Rainer Maria Rilke: “Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage. Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love.” // Angie Agnoni is a local astrologer and graduate of the International Academy of Astrology (IAA). She is Vice President of Lake County Astrological Association (LCAA) out of Willoughby Hills, which is one of the longest running astrology groups in the country. Angie can be reached and booked for personal astrology consultation at www.calendly.com/ angieagnoni.
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