Despite these concerns, there's a more subtle and potentially more deceptive threat looming: voice fraud.
Unlike high-definition video, the typical transmission quality of audio, especially in phone calls, is markedly low.
The inherent imperfections in audio offer a veil of anonymity to voice manipulations.
A slightly robotic tone or a static-laden voice message can easily be dismissed as a technical glitch rather than an attempt at fraud.
This makes voice fraud not only effective but also remarkably insidious.
Imagine receiving a phone call from a loved one's number telling you they are in trouble and asking for help.
The voice might sound a bit off, but you attribute this to the wind or a bad line.
The emotional urgency of the call might compel you to act before you think to verify its authenticity.
Herein lies the danger: Voice fraud preys on our readiness to ignore minor audio discrepancies, which are commonplace in everyday phone use.
That's one reason most mobile operators, including T-Mobile, Verizon and others, make free services available to block - or at least identify and warn of - suspected scam calls.
Despite the push to discredit traditional media, people will place even more trust in verified entities like C-SPAN, for example.
On a personal level, people will become more guarded about incoming calls from unknown or unexpected numbers.
As a result, individuals might lean more towards using and trusting services that provide secure and encrypted voice communications, where the identity of each party can be unequivocally confirmed.
Techniques such as multi-factor authentication for voice calls and the use of blockchain to verify the origins of digital communications will become standard.
Effectively combating voice fraud requires a combination of education, caution, business practices, technology and government regulation.
For people: It's essential that you exercise extra caution.
Understand that the voices of their loved ones may have already been captured and potentially cloned.
In specific jurisdictions, a financial institution may be at least partially responsible from a legal standpoint for frauds perpetrated on customer accounts.
Continue to institute legislation to protect people's right to internet safety.
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This Cyber News was published on venturebeat.com. Publication date: Sun, 30 Jun 2024 19:13:05 +0000