The Deepfake Dilemma Technology, Truth, and Forensic Integrity

Chapter 1 – The Rise of Deepfakes and Impact on Society

• Origins, evolution, and criminal impact of synthetic media across journalism, politics, and entertainment.

Chapter 2 – The Science Behind Deepfakes

• Deepfake creation via GANs, machine learning, and neural networks; tools and acceleration factors.

Chapter 3 – The Role of Digital Forensics in the Age of Deepfakes and AI

• Contrast between traditional and deepfake forensics; tools, techniques, and key challenges.

Chapter 4 – Case Studies: Deepfakes in Criminal Investigations

• Real-world incidents involving fraud, extortion, harassment, and courtroom implications.

Chapter 5 – Challenges for Digital Forensics and Law Enforcement

• Limitations in current tools, policing capacity, and technological access.

Chapter 6 – Legal and Ethical Implications of Deepfake Technology

• Court admissibility, privacy, consent, and digital rights.

Chapter 7 – Combating the Deepfake Threat: Tools and Strategies

• Emerging forensic detection tools, industry collaborations, and best-practice policies.

Chapter 8 – The Future of Digital Forensics in the Age of Deepfakes

• Rethinking forensic practices and identifying future research directions.

References

Biography

Dr Áine MacDermott is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Computer Science and Mathematics, at Liverpool John Moores University, specialising in digital forensics and cyber security. With over 14 years of research experience, Dr MacDermott has conducted impactful research-informed teaching involving forensic evidence handling and methodologies, IoT and smart devices, cyber security of IoT, and currently the analysis of fabricated media. Dr MacDermott holds a PhD in Network Security) and BSc (Hons) in Computer Forensics and is passionate about educating the next generation of forensics professionals on the challenges and opportunities presented by emerging technologies like deepfakes. With over 50 publications to date, Dr MacDermott continues to contribute significantly to the fields of cyber security and digital forensics.

Dr MacDermott is a recognised expert in the intersection of cyber security and digital forensics of IoT devices and has spoken at numerous industry conferences and workshops. In addition to her academic roles, Dr. MacDermott has been an Adjunct Professor at Ontario Tech University since 2020. She actively engages in public outreach and education, organising workshops such as a 'Deepfake Forensics' event at LJMU in 2023, which brought together professionals from academia and law enforcement to address challenges posed by AI-generated media.

She collaborates with external partners, including the Merseyside Police, Zayed University (Dubai) and Ontario Tech University (Canada), where she serves as a visiting lecturer. Her commitment to bridging academia and industry is further demonstrated by her contributions to national policy discussions; notably, she provided written expert testimony to the UK Parliament's Science, Innovation and Technology Select Committee on the impact of social media algorithms in spreading disinformation.