How a Blockchain Tool is Being Employed to Tackle Disinformation Hazards Impacting Elections
Generative A.I. continues to raise fears and anxieties with its ability to create misinformation online so quickly and effectively. Most alarming to many is the reality that this tool exists in a year when an estimated 4 billion people worldwide will soon be heading to the polls. Fears of deepfakes are not unfounded considering they have been used to digitally alter events, such as elections in Taiwan, Bangladesh, and Slovakia, with fake audio recordings and A.I. generated video. But there are tools to combat misinformation that can assuage those fears, including a new blockchain tool developed in Taiwan by a company called Numbers Protocol.
The tool embeds metadata into photos to establish where exactly they came from. It may also gain information about the author as well as when the photo was shot. It works in challenging environments like warzones and during elections and also helps to protect and record crucial events. The tool is supported from below by blockchain technology, allowing people to see the photo’s complete history.
Photographers that are affiliated with news organizations and agencies all around the world work alongside Numbers Protocol to have their photos checked online by anyone on a public database by uploading their photos with metadata. The process in action involves utilizing a desktop tool to upload and oversee photos and videos that are captured with high-quality cameras. These media files end up in decentralized storage and are then officially recorded on the blockchain, safeguarding the ownership of the content as well as its integrity. The technology can also be accessed by non-professionals by using a dedicated app that is designed for capturing images. The app seamlessly integrates details about the origin of each photo, opening the door for a quick verification of user-generated content by media organizations.
To streamline and expedite the verification process, the service uses an engine driven by AI called "Verify" that empowers users to easily authenticate content. This isn't unlike Google’s reverse search image search, which helps people determine a given photo’s origins.
The founder of Numbers Protocol, Tammy Yang, states that the biggest hurdle the company will have to overcome is the oversaturation of information overwhelming people, who naturally guard their belief systems and are cautious of anything new, for fear of it being fake.
The tool, albeit helpful, is only an early step to addressing the problem of deepfakes. But it offers a great jumping off point to focus on establishing the origin of an image or video. Additionally, the debunking process will be accelerated thanks to its implementation.
Numbers Protocol amassed approximately 1,000 photos available for public verification leading up to the January election in Taiwan. This emphasizes the clear potential of this technology, most of all in larger-scale elections where the influence of deepfakes on voting outcomes is an even bigger concern. Initiatives like Numbers Protocol's blockchain tool offer a glimpse of a future where technology plays a pivotal role in preserving the integrity of information in crucial democratic processes.
