The Emerging Tech Unpacked podcast unpacks emerging tech topics with diverse perspectives. Host Lucy Lin shares what she learnt about deepfake technologies and a life in intelligence.
In our latest episode of Emerging Tech Unpacked, I had the privilege of interviewing one of the most fascinating guest I’ve ever met – Emerald Sage.
She’s a former Australian intelligence operative who spent 13 years in a national security intelligence organisation comparable to the FBI in the United States or MI5 in the United Kingdom.
From Indiana Jones to intelligence
When I met Emerald at CyberCon (cybersecurity conference), I knew her story would captivate our audience. Now the Head of Intelligence Services at OSINT Combine, she shared her remarkable journey from aspiring archaeologist to intelligence expert.
“I grew up wanting to be Indiana Jones,” she told me with a laugh. “But intelligence work gave me the sense of adventure I was looking for – along with a lot of paperwork.”
A deep dive into deepfakes
What struck me most during our conversation was how deepfake technology has evolved since 2017.
Emerald explained that while deepfakes offer positive applications like medical voice reconstruction, they also pose serious risks.
She shared two compelling examples: a fake video of President Zelenskyy declaring Ukraine’s defeat in 2022, and a recent $25 million fraud using deepfake video conferencing, which fooled a Hong Kong finance worker to transfer money to cybercriminals.
Detection and protection
The most valuable part of our discussion focused on practical detection methods.
Emerald revealed key indicators like unnatural blinking, audio sync issues, and inconsistent lighting. She also introduced us to useful tools Google’s Fact Checker for content verification.
Ethics in intelligence
What fascinated me was Emerald’s candid discussion about balancing ethics in intelligence work. She shared how she navigated using assumed identities while staying true to her moral compass:
“You have to remind yourself of your goal and objective – am I doing this because ultimately I want to stop bad things from happening to a lot of innocent people?” she says.
This episode truly opened my eyes to both the possibilities and dangers of deepfake technology, while giving us a rare glimpse into the world of intelligence operations.
You can watch or listen to the “Deepfake Tech with an Intelligence Expert” episode now on the below channels:
I am always looking for the most interesting topics and guests, get in touch with me if you would like to collaborate.
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