A History of Fake Things on the Internet

A History of Fake Things on the Internet (2023) explores the origins and evolution of digitally fabricated content, from early photo manipulation to today’s AI-generated deep fakes, analyzing key technological advances that made new forms of deception possible, and tracing their real-world impact back to fundamental aspects of human behavior. It argues that problems stemming from fake online content relate more to creativity and destruction inherent in human nature, rather than the nature of the faked content itself.

• Technology historians
• Media literacy advocates
• Anyone interested in information security

Walter J. Scheirer is an Assistant Professor at the University of Notre Dame, who previously held positions at Harvard University, and co-founded a computer vision startup after receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Colorado. His research focuses on developing advanced machine learning techniques for fundamental problems in biometrics, computer vision, and recognition.