Paravision Gets Government Funding to Develop Deepfake Detection System

Paravision will be spearheading the development of deepfake detection technology for an unnamed government partner. The company will specifically be trying to help that partner spot deepfake videos, such as those that might depict a politician or celebrity and be used to spread disinformation and propaganda about various subjects.

In that regard, Paravision noted that deepfake technology has become far more sophisticated in recent years, to the point that the manipulation can often be imperceptible to the human eye. The company’s government partner is associated with the Five Eyes alliance (which includes Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States), and is providing Paravision with funding to pursue deepfake detection as part of a yearlong program.

Paravision is hoping to deliver a software solution that will be able to identify several different kinds of deepfake manipulations. The development will take place under the direction of Kris Ranganath, who recently signed on as Paravision’s new SVP of Innovation after more than 15 years at NEC.

“Deepfake technologies contribute to an atmosphere of uncertainty and distrust that can be exploited by malicious actors,” said Paravision CPO Joey Pritikin. “We are proud to partner with a major Five Eyes government to deliver an impactful, high-accuracy capability for deepfake detection, and to have the opportunity to address this urgent need.”

“Paravision’s top-rated face recognition technology, along with other complementary technologies, provide an ideal foundation for a high-impact deepfake detection solution,” added Ranganath. “We see valuable applications and opportunities in multiple domains, including government, social media and news media.”

Paravision’s facial recognition solution took the top spot in the NIST 1:N benchmark evaluation earlier this year. The company also performed extremely well in the Department of Homeland Security’s most recent Biometric Technology Rally, displaying no bias and delivering a 100 percent accuracy rating across race, age, and gender categories. In other news, Paravision signed a new contract with the US Department of Defense in April.

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June 10, 2022 – by Eric Weiss