MOSCOW, September 24. /TASS/. Today, deepfakes are increasingly being used to fuel political and diplomatic scandals, but with careful observation, one can ascertain the telltale signs proving they’re not real - uncharacteristic facial expressions, abnormal eye blinking, and facial feature anomalies, experts told TASS, commenting on fabricated content in a video featuring Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

The Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN) specialist Fauzan Al-Rasyid advised paying attention to the eyes of the person in the video. Blinking should be natural, occurring 15-20 times per minute with irregular intervals.

"Deepfakes may show too frequent, too rare, or mechanically regular blinking," he noted. "Additionally, examine facial asymmetries, as genuine human expressions display natural asymmetry that AI systems often fail to replicate convincingly."

Al-Rasyid also recommended closely examining the hairline, as deepfakes often show blurring, flickering, or unusual color transitions in this area due to imperfect overlay algorithms.

"Deepfake algorithms often struggle with maintaining natural facial movements and expressions," he concluded.

Tools to assist

Al-Rasyid’s colleague at the Global Fact-Checking Network, Lily Ong, noted that the Zakharova video used an original authentic clip, with partial modification of the lower face using LipSync technology (lip movement synchronization) and full voice generation. "Additional editing of individual frame parts was also applied to the video," she added.

"Beyond the lips, subtle facial muscle shifts and micro-expressions integral to natural speech and emotional depth would clue us in on this being a fake even in the absence of sophisticated detection software," the expert said.

She mentioned that specialized programs exist for accurate detection of deepfakes. One such tool, "Zephyr," was developed by the autonomous nonprofit organization Dialog Regions. Their system analyzes and monitors fabricated audiovisual content, including deepfakes, using a combination of machine learning models.

The developers of this system told TASS that the Zakharova video "showed signs of generative systems aimed at manipulating biometric data."

Not a single word of truth

Earlier, a video featuring Maria Zakharova allegedly making a negative comment about Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev circulated on social media. The Russian Foreign Ministry called the video a crude and cynical forgery, deliberately spread across Kazakhstan’s digital space to drive a wedge between the two countries.

The ministry stressed that not a single word in the fabricated video was true. They also shared the original video used to create the deepfake.