KUALA LUMPUR: There is high chance that the alleged lewd video of Datuk Dr Muhammad Agus Yusof and Abdul Wahab Abdul Kadir Jilani that went viral can be analysed to determine if it is manipulated through the use of artificial intelligence (AI).
In a special appearance in the New Straits Times' chat show Beyond the Headlines, Universiti Sains Malaysia cybersecurity expert and artificial intelligence researcher Dr Selvakumar Manickam said current technology had made it easier for experts to determine the authenticity of a video.
While he acknowledged that it was indeed a cat-and-mouse game for experts to catch-up on the latest ruse of criminals who keep on producing doctored content, he said the latest technologies also enabled experts to analyse the genuineness of a video and its soundtrack.
"Forensic analysis involves examining the digital characteristics of a video, to identify inconsistencies or find artefacts.
"That means if an image is embedded in an environment, you probably will see some edges which are something you could not detect years ago. But with technology, it is getting easier.
"You can also detect discrepancies in how the audio and video tracks are aligned. You can analyse speech patterns, how to look at intonation and various characteristics to see whether the audio has been embedded to the video, including lip movement and other subtle differences."
Although the Personal Data Protection Act (2010) protected individuals from being victimised by doctored content like the alleged case of Agus, Selvakumar said the law might be outdated as it was not in tandem with the evolution of technology.
He also called for a concerted effort between countries to have a common framework to address cybercrime across borders to protect victims of fraudulent videos.
"Technology evolves very fast, but it takes us forever to update our laws to be aligned with what has changed in cyberspace.
"When it comes to cybercrime and online content, this is borderless. I don't have to be in Malaysia to commit a cybercrime.
"So in a doctored video, if I have done it in some other country and posted it online, how would Malaysian authorities be able to prosecute someone who did it in a more (legislatively) liberal country such as the Netherlands? How do you prosecute that person because our laws are different?" he said.
Selvakumar advised Malaysians to not overshare videos and photos of themselves.
"When it comes to AI, data is key. The more data you have, the more accurate and realistic content people are able to create.
"The key is to limit the availability of the content, which will basically reduce the probability to some extent of you becoming a victim," he said.