From Kid Rock to fake news: The internet’s battle with deep fakes

In the age of digital manipulation, the internet is flooded with fake photos and videos, making it harder to tell what’s real and what’s not. Take this for example: A claim that musicians Kid Rock and Jack White were childhood best friends. It sounds interesting, but it’s completely false. The photos supposedly showing them together? They were photoshopped to make it look like they were in the same room.

What’s more, even voices can be manipulated using software that’s easily available online—and often for free.

This kind of technology, known as deepfakes, is becoming increasingly common, allowing anyone to create realistic but entirely fake content. The issue is that when people see these doctored images or videos, they’re more likely to believe them simply because they saw it with their own eyes.

But in today’s digital world, seeing isn’t believing. That’s why it’s important to remain skeptical of what you see online and verify sources before jumping to conclusions.