What is a deepfakeA realistic fake image, video or audio made or altered with AI, often to show someone doing or saying something they did not

TimeBinder adds a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes.

The file stays on your device. Your browser makes a digital fingerprint of the file. TimeBinder records the fingerprint and the time, not the file.

Short answer

A deepfake is a realistic fake image, video or audio made or altered with AI, often showing a real person saying or doing something they never did. Some are harmless satire or art, others are used for scams or harassment. Check context and source, since visual glitches are less reliable as tools improve.

Types and uses

The word combines “deep learning” and “fake”. Common types are face swaps in video, lip-sync changes, cloned voices and fully generated images of real or invented people. Not every AI image is a deepfake: the term usually means media that imitates a real person or event.

Uses range from film effects and satire to fraud, fake endorsements and non-consensual content. See the glossary entry and how to spot a deepfake video.

Checking something you have seen

Ask where it came from, whether trustworthy outlets report the same thing, and whether a reverse search finds an earlier original. Try the viral AI fakes quiz to practise, and follow the verify a viral video guide.

If you publish original media, a TimeBind records a SHA-256 fingerprint of the exact file and a time, anchored to Bitcoin. The fingerprint is made in your browser and the file is not uploaded. That shows your original existed by a time. It does not show that other media is fake.

Make a TimeBind: first one free →

First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. An ASAP TimeBind is US$15.

Frequently asked questions

Are all deepfakes illegal?

No. Legality depends on the country, consent and use. Fraud, impersonation and non-consensual content can be unlawful.

Is a deepfake the same as AI-generated media?

Not exactly. Deepfake usually means AI media that imitates a real person or event. Other AI images may be wholly invented.

Can I spot a deepfake by eye?

Sometimes, but visual clues are becoming less reliable. Check the source and context as well.

Can a timestamp show something is not a deepfake?

No. It can show that a file existed by a time and is unchanged, not that the content is genuine.

Sources

TimeBinder, How to spot a deepfake video.
TimeBinder, Verify a viral video.

Related guides and tools

Your file’s fingerprint, anchored to a global network secured by real electricity and cryptography.

Editing a file—including with AI—changes its fingerprint, not its existing network record.

How this works

Your file’s SHA-256 fingerprint, a short code worked out from its exact contents, is made in your browser, and the file itself stays on your device. A cryptographic commitment to that fingerprint, which may be combined with others, is then anchored in a block on the Bitcoin blockchain. Bitcoin is secured by proof of work: computers around the world spend real electricity to add each block, and changing an earlier block would mean redoing that work faster than the rest of the network. Until that block is confirmed, your proof is pending. Once the Bitcoin anchoring is confirmed, you can verify the proof against that recorded commitment. The confirmed record can then be checked; Pooled TimeBinds are checked through TimeBinder, while ASAP TimeBinds can also be checked independently. If you check the file later and its fingerprint still matches, that shows the file existed no later than the recorded time. The record doesn’t show who made the file, whether AI was used, or that its contents are true.

Your filestays on your device
FingerprintSHA-256
Network timestampon Bitcoin

Record a fingerprint of the file you rely on

Add a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes: a dated, checkable record of the exact file you hold.

Open the app and sign in with email or Google.
Add your files. They stay on your computer.
Seal them and download your Proof of Time certificates.

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First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. See pricing.