Deefakes news has become a predominant trend of print, electronic and social media. This alarming development holds mayhem repercussions for social and political fabric along with posing threats to national security and integrity. Nonetheless, there is the potential for deepfake news to aggravate existing societal fissures among the civilian population of Pakistan and it and extent also challenges the existing cohesion and harmony among the state’s key stakeholders. Given how easily deepfakes can combine fake narratives and information with fabricated sources of authority, they have an unprecedented potential to mislead, misinform and manipulate a wholly new meaning. Indeed deepfakes introduced something called the “liar’s dividend.” As people grow increasingly aware of the capabilities of deepfake technology, it’s easier to believe the denials of a person, who claims they are simply being framed. In broader spectrum, beyond domestic politics, deepfake technologies pose a threat to Pakistan’s diplomacy and national security. As Pakistan is “ill-prepared” for the wave of deepfakes that Indian disinformation campaigns could unleash. Although The effects of disinformation cannot be eliminated, but with increasing awareness of deepfakes and the consistent use of verification tools across major companies and outlets, it will at least be clear more quickly if content has been manipulated or not. Furthermore, the development of verification tools for personal use would also be a worthwhile option to explore by private companies or possibly media organizations. Considering the number of apps that can be used to create deepfakes, perhaps apps could help users determine the authenticity of video or audio content, giving individuals the option to fact-check their own information on their own time. Pakistan must formulate a soft-law framework should be the approach in any context, as the technology is moving far too quickly for traditional methods to follow it. We do not necessarily need a technology or regulatory paradigm change in order to disarm deepfakes. Instead, communities and individuals can also take action directly by setting higher standards for how we create and interact with political content online ourselves.
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