Deepfake technology has arrived overnight, and it has already changed the digital landscape forever. This fast-paced change presents very real dangers to government officials and private citizens alike. According to a recent report, more than 100 million computer-generated and altered videos and images drown the internet every day. Perhaps this unprecedented rush has set off security experts’ and users’ panic buttons.
In collaboration with Massive Blue, an AI security firm based in New York, we sought to explore this disturbing proliferation in deepfake production. The firm highlights that a shocking 96% of all deepfake videos are non-consensual pornography, most often victimizing women. The truth is, the general public just has a difficult time seeing these manipulations. A truly shocking 71% of them aren’t able to differentiate between legitimate and deceptive media. High-quality deepfake videos are quickly becoming impossible to detect. According to research recently published by IEEE, the human accuracy in identifying these videos has plummeted to a mere 24.5%.
The implications of these developments are dire. Moving into the first quarter of 2025, there have only been 179 deepfake incidents reported overall. This is a dangerous 19% uptick from the full serious incidents reported in 2024. The financial implications are just as alarming. Deepfake-facilitated fraud represented over $200 million in losses over this stretch.
Escalating Incidents and Victims
Not surprisingly, deepfake incidents are on the rise, most interestingly with celebrities. 47 major attacks reported just in the first quarter of 2025 and a shocking 81% increase compared to last year. Those high-profile leaders, in turn, have come under greater and more intense attacks. To illustrate, Taylor Swift has experienced 11, Tom Hanks 3 verified cases, and Brad Pitt and Emma Watson have both faced 2 times each.
Fraudsters often use celebrity deepfakes to promote financial scams, making these cases the most common type at 38% of total cases. What’s more, 26% of deepfake attacks produce explicit content. At the same time, political endorsement schemes make up nearly 4% of the total incidents reported. The team at Massive Blue had to research and analyse more than 10,000 posts. These posts included over 100,000 pieces of manipulated media spanning multiple platforms, underscoring the massive scale of this problem.
“What we’ve seen by being able to create very photorealistic images through commercial websites and pay 20 bucks a month… there are models that are combining imagery, audio, video, and getting much more efficient at the amount of training data needed to actually go and impersonate individuals,” – Haley noted.
Financial Consequences for Companies
The consequences of deepfake technology are far-reaching, affecting not only individual victims but businesses. On average, companies in 2024 experienced almost a half million dollars in losses from incidents perpetrated with deepfakes. At the same time, big companies lost even more, with damages increasing as high as $680,000. Given that financial losses in Q1 2025 exceeded $688 million, entities are now at a higher risk than ever from advanced scams powered by this new technology.
As the digital landscape continues to rapidly expand and change, organizations need to be proactive in protecting themselves against these risks. Haley warned the private sector against underestimating the potential scope of AI-made threats.
“Don’t be afraid of AI. First and foremost. Don’t be afraid of it, but ensure that you are looking across your organization for where these attack vectors can actually impact you,” – Haley advises.
This new call to action rights the balance by focusing on the continued need for vigilance and preparedness in the face of quickly advancing technology.
Regulatory Developments and Technological Responses
Legislative efforts have recently been introduced across the country to combat this growing menace of deepfakes. These laws are intended to close the gaps in regulation that have allowed victims to be exploited for years. The United States recently passed the Take It Down Act, a significant step toward providing federal protection against deepfake-related abuses.
Massive Blue has become one of the leading challengers to this digital menace. The company claims a 99% takedown success rate on all major platforms, including Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. Their more than five thousand global employees harness advanced technology to detect and disrupt the most promising emerging threats.
“Technology is agnostic; it is not moral; it is amoral, and it’s about who’s utilizing that,” – Haley stated.
As Massive Blue continues its mission to combat deepfakes, there is a growing recognition that individuals are not just brands but people with feelings and families affected by these malicious attacks.
“The core difference is that individuals have feelings. They have a heart; they have families; they have people they care about. They’re not just a brand,” – Haley explained.
