May 31, 2022 17:00:00

Google secretly bans the use of the resource platform 'Colab' for deepfake creation

Google's online platform '

Colaboratory (Colab) ' that can execute Python code directly through a browser and utilize computing resources such as GPU, 'Create Deepfake' forbidden at some point in May 2022 It turned out that was added secretly.

Google Has Banned the Training of Deepfakes in Colab --Unite.AI
https://www.unite.ai/google-has-banned-the-training-of-deepfakes-in-colab/

Google quietly bans deepfake training projects on Colab

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/google/google-quietly-bans-deepfake-training-projects-on-colab/

Deepfake allows you to freely change faces in photos and videos, change age, and move your mouth freely, which is very convenient depending on how you use it, but on the other hand, it is not only used for fun. , IT news site Bleeping Computer points out that lack of ethics in use has become a source of controversy and concern, as it is sometimes used to spread fake news and create revenge pornography.

Colab's FAQ originally explained that resources are not guaranteed and not unlimited, and that usage restrictions may change, and as prohibited acts, 'file hosting, media distribution, interactive computing with Colab' Providing web services not related to ing, 'Downloading torrents or participating in P2P file sharing', 'Using remote desktop or SSH', 'Connecting to remote proxies', 'Virtual currency mining', 'Performing DoS attacks', 'Passwords' 'Cracking' and 'Avoiding access and resource usage restrictions using multiple accounts' were mentioned. The following is an archive of pages containing Colab's prohibited acts acquired as of May 14, 2022.

Google Colab
https://web.archive.org/web/20220514170909/https:/research.google.com/colaboratory/faq.html

Archive of the same page as of May 24, 2022. 'Creating a deep fake' is added to the above-mentioned prohibited acts.

Google Colab

https://web.archive.org/web/20220524020957/https://research.google.com/colaboratory/faq.html

DeepFaceLab developer chervonji, known as deepfake creation software, said when trying to train deepfake in Colab, 'You may be running unauthorized code and will use Colab in the future. Please note the prohibited acts described in the FAQ. ”Is reported on Discord. However, the code itself can be executed.

'I don't think Google has banned deepfake creation because of ethical issues,' said Matt Tora, co-lead developer of FaceSwap, also known as deepfake creation software. Originally Google Colab was a service that provided resources to enable researchers, data scientists, and students to execute costly code, but it was originally unexpected to create deepfake models with high calculation costs. It is said that the fact that the user was in a state of consuming resources led to this measure. 'It's sad that the road to trying our code is closed, but it's understandable to protect the original target to ensure that resources are available,' he said. ..

Regarding deepfake, many users are using Colab's pre-trained models to quickly deploy high-resolution projects, and this limitation has a widespread impact on the deepfake world. It is expected to have an effect.