UK strengthens global fight against deepfakes with new detection framework

A new deepfake detection framework is being developed by the UK government in partnership with Microsoft, academics and leading global experts.

The project aims to introduce consistent standards for evaluating every type of detection tool, positioning the UK as a central figure in confronting harmful and deceptive synthetic media instead of allowing fragmented approaches across sectors.

An initiative that will examine how technology can assess and identify malicious deepfake material linked to fraud, impersonation and sexual exploitation.

By testing detection tools against real-world scenarios, the framework will expose gaps in current defences and offer law enforcement agencies clearer guidance on where improvements are needed.

A recent government-funded Deepfake Detection Challenge hosted by Microsoft brought together more than 350 participants, including members of the Five Eyes community and INTERPOL, who were asked to distinguish genuine and manipulated media under pressure.

Officials argue that criminals are increasingly weaponising deepfakes to deceive the public, manipulate images of women and girls, and create convincing impersonations of family members, celebrities and political figures.

The government has already criminalised the creation of non-consensual intimate images and will soon outlaw nudification tools, so platforms take proactive steps rather than responding only after harm occurs.

Police and victim-support advocates welcomed the new framework as a timely step in addressing fast-evolving risks.

They emphasised that platforms must do far more to protect users as deepfake technology becomes cheaper and easier to use, with millions of synthetic images, audio clips and videos circulating each year across social networks.

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