A Study on Deepfakes in Public Elections and the Crisis of Democracy

This study examines the impact of deepfakes on democracy in public elections, analyzes the content of current government regulations, identifies problems, and proposes improvements. The study identifies three potential impacts of deepfakes on democracy: 1) information manipulation and the publication of disformation, 2) confusion among voters about candidates' identities, and 3) distortion of democratic representation, potentially leading to the replacement of elected officials. To prevent a crisis in democracy, this study examined the current status of deepfake regulations, including detection and administrative measures, and analyzed proposed regulations addressing the harmful effects of deepfake technology. Based on the analysis of the current status and the content of proposed legislation, the following recommendations are made for future improvements to deepfake regulations in public elections: 1) maximizing the effectiveness of mandatory labeling of AI products, 2) strengthening online platform accountability and reinforcing accountability through the introduction of a real-name system, 3) developing deepfake detection tools to determine authenticity, 4) developing government-certified standards and introducing an automatic shutdown system, 5) operation of reporting channels to strengthen citizen surveillance, and 6) intergovernmental collaboration.