HICPR: AI Deep Fakes: Is that really you, Mom? (and how to counter them!)

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

AI Deep Fakes: Is that really you, Mom? (and how to counter them!)

Clker,com

It’s getting harder and harder to tell what’s real online. One minute, you’re scrolling through social media; the next, you see a video of someone who looks "exactly" like your favorite celebrity — or worse, like you. Welcome to the world of AI deepfakes — realistic videos or audio created using artificial intelligence to make people say or do things they never actually did.

These deepfakes can look frighteningly real, and scammers are starting to use them in clever (and dangerous) ways — from impersonating company leaders to trick employees into wiring money, to faking a family member’s voice to ask for “urgent” help. As realistic as these fakes have become, there are ways to defend yourself.

What Deepfakes are and why they’re a problem

Think of a deepfake as a high-tech disguise. AI tools can copy a person’s image, gestures, and voice from online photos or video clips. Then they can generate new videos that seem completely authentic — even to the trained eye.

Unfortunately, cybercriminals are using these tools to manipulate people:

Pretending to be your boss to request sensitive information
Posing as relatives asking for emergency money
Creating fake videos that damage reputations or spread misinformation

That’s why keeping your identity safe online needs more than just strong passwords — it requires protection that watches over your digital presence too. There are a number of system available today designed to do that. (Disclaimer: I'm with Identityshield, one of the very best and longd, used here as an example. Check out some of our more expensive and less comprehensive competitors but I'm confident you'll be back: Aura, Life Lock, Identity Guard, Identity Force, Identity IQ, etc.)

How Identity Shield Has Your Back (How Identity Shield Helps Protect You from AI Deepfakes)

Identity Shield uses cutting-edge technology to help you spot, stop, and remove deepfake attacks before they can cause harm. Here’s how:

Monitors your digital identity: Constantly scans online platforms for fake accounts, videos, or images that mimic your likeness or voice.
Alerts you to potential impersonations: If it detects something suspicious, you get a warning right away.
Helps with quick action: You’ll get guidance to report and take down harmful fakes fast.
Adds extra security layers: Whether you’re verifying a video call or confirming a message, Identity Shield makes sure it’s really "you".

Stay one step ahead of the fakes

AI deepfakes aren’t just a tech trend — they’re a growing challenge for everyone. Whether you’re protecting your business, your reputation, or your loved ones, having the right tools matters.
Identity Shield gives you peace of mind in an age where seeing isn’t always believing. It keeps your true self — your image, your voice, your identity — safe from impersonators.
Don’t wait until a fake version of you shows up online. Subscribe to Identity Shield today and take control of your digital identity before anyone else does.

Note: This post was drafted with help from an AI assistant—and edited by a very human 82‑year‑old who does not want to be the next victim. (wracton@gmail.com)

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What is haptic pronunciation teaching?

Basically, it is using gesture, touch and movement to teach pronunciation of English (or any language). What makes this method unique is that it is based on controlled and systematic use of gesture in doing that. (Often the problem with gesture use in language learning is that it can be "crazy" or random or intimidating or inconsistent, or not well-developed and tied to clear outcomes.)

The earlier "Essential Haptic-integrated English Pronunciation (EHIEP) approach," now KINETIK, does a better job of enhancing presentation, modelling, feedback and correction. The method is simple and easy to follow. Once a 30-minute module is finished, teacher and students have a set of techniques to use in class anytime a pronunciation problem or opportunity comes up!

Haptic Preliminaries

I often begin workshops or papers with the comment that in about 40 years in the field I have had just one idea: that the systematic use of body movement is essential to effective and efficient pronunciation instruction. That has never been more relevant than today, with the general deemphasis on pronunciation and introduction of technology into the field. From both perspectives, the "haptic" perspective approach developed here offers great promise. I can at least promise you a "moving" experience!

What is the KINETIK Method?

KINETIK is the name of the new v6.0 haptic pronunciation teaching system. About six years earlier we were using the acronym, "Haptic Integrated Pronunciation for Other/Extended Circle English Speakers" (HIPOECES)--still there in the url of this blog!

Haptic-integrated clinical pronunciation is:

A different way to learn pronunciation, based in part on Arthur Lessac’s notion of “Training the body first.” It is also based on research in the use of movement and touch in learning and training. It:

Looks somewhat like a combination of aerobics, sign language and Taichi

Provides a basic foundation for continued, self-directed pronunciation learning and classroom instruction

Designed for use by relatively untrained teachers but appropriate for all teachers (and learners) of all levels

Focuses on pronunciation used in conversation (not all words in English)

Is a highly “brain-and-body-friendly” system that promotes efficient learning of integrated tasks in general

Designed to promote integrated classroom pronunciation instruction and enable integration of conscious pronunciation work into spontaneous speaking.

Introduction

This blog was formerly named: HIPoeces (pronounced 'hI-pƏ-cIs), basically an approach to teaching English pronunciation to speakers of "outer and expanding" circle Englishes (including that population commonly termed: non-native speakers) but also compatible with the use of local models other than simply Standard" American" or RP. Using Kachru's "Inner, expanding and outer circles" model to characterize the breadth of Englishes and speakers of those, HIPoeces (now HICP) systems focus on developing haptically-centered pedagogical models and methods which can be adapted for teaching the pronunciation of various Englishes as they are spoken and taught by "owners" of those varieties.

In theory, the underlying principles can be applied to teaching the sound system of any language. Most language instructors intuitively use a great deal of movement and tactile anchoring in the classroom. The essential question is how to use that resource systematically, especially so that those learners who are less "haptic" in nature are also "moved" by the method.

Simply put, the HICP model/method is based on the idea of speaking along with arm and hand movement, not all that different from that used in sign languages. Most movement patterns are taken from either typical classroom pronunciation instruction practice or from related fields, such as psychotherapy or sports.

Most blog posts link to research that relates to the general HICP model, that is studies dealing with the role of gesture, touch, movement, learning modalities, learning in output, use of the visual field in learning, and experiential learning.

DEFINITIONS:

"Haptic" techniques- procedures that involve both movement and touch (Obvious examples include clapping hands, tapping feet, or holding an object and shaking it to the rhythm of a poem.)

"HICP techniques" - procedures that are haptic and also explicitly coordinated with phonological structures and/or discourse prosody (For example, clapping hands on primary stressed syllables in multi-syllable words, or doing a dance step on key words in conversational turns.)

"Haptic integration"- The haptic dimension probably functions as much to anchor visual and auditory material as it does to assist the learner in getting the "felt sense" of the sound or sound process. Lack of integration into spontaneous speech being such a serious potential shortcoming of instruction, haptic engagement seems a promising bridge to more accurate fluency.

"Visual field" - in HICP extensive use is made of the visual field in front of the learner. (For example, a modified version of the IPA vowel chart is anchored haptically in the imagination of the learner, directly in front of the upper body, and used for several purposes throughout the program.)

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

AI Deep Fakes: Is that really you, Mom? (and how to counter them!)

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