This year, over half the world’s population will head to the ballot box. At a time when, in many nations, democracy is already under acute pressure, ensuring these elections are free and fair is of paramount importance.

In the context of this political instability, deepfakes have entered the stage – and this year they are poised to play a larger role than ever before.

Governments, either through a lack of ability or will, have failed to sufficiently defend democracy against deepfakes. However, where the public sector fails, there’s an opportunity for the private to step in – both to safeguard democracy and reap financial rewards in the process.