But Facebook isn't banning all deepfake videos. It will allow the technique to be used in parodies or satire, and it will also allow clips that were edited only to cut out or change the order of words. Those exceptions could open up a gray area in which fact-checkers must decide what content is allowed and what is taken down.
Deepfake videos can be created in several ways, from video editing software to sophisticated artificial intelligence tools.
"While these videos are still rare on the internet, they present a significant challenge for our industry and society as their use increases," Facebook's vice president of global policy management, Monika Bickert, said in a blog post about the new policy Monday night.
Facebook is pushing back on deepfake videos as the 2020 presidential campaign ramps up — and the company clearly hopes to avoid a repeat of the fallout from the 2016 election, when it was accused of allowing voter manipulation from fake accounts and thousands of Russian-backed political ads.