Quezon City 1st District Rep. Arjo Atayde said on Tuesday that the government must step up the campaign against “deepfakes” during the 2025 midterm elections, especially given how technological advancements have made it easy to “transform lies into truths in order to destroy the reputations of elected officials and candidates.”

Atayde, a member of the House information and communications technology committee, made the remark following the statement of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) that deepfakes are considered the biggest threat to the 2025 midterm elections.

“Dapat paigtingin pa ng pamahalaan, lalo na ng DICT, ang kanilang paghahanda para sa 2025 elections para labanan ang pagkalat ng mga ganitong uri ng panlilinlang sa publiko gamit ang internet,” Atayde said.

Deepfakes are Artificial Intelligence (AI) used to create convincing images, videos, and recordings intended to mislead the public.

Earlier, Sumsub, an AI-based identity verification and anti-fraud solution, revealed that the number of scam calls and messages in the Philippines increased by 200 percent during the first eight months of 2024 compared to last year.

The lawmaker also urged the public to be wary of the posts they see on social media and not be deceived unless such are verified to be authentic.

According to the lawmaker, “dapat maging maingat sa mga nakikita sa social media lalo na ngayong napakadali na lamang ang pamemeke ng digital pictures and videos.”

CICC Director Alexander Ramos said that the agency is currently looking for a technology to counter or detect deepfakes.

DICT is also collaborating with the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to find technologies which are helpful in maintaining the election’s integrity.