KPMG investment in Reality Defender backs hiring spree to fight deepfakes

U.S.-based KPMG LLP has taken a minority stake in deepfake detection developer Reality Defender and plans to integrate its fraud-protecting technology into its business services.

The companies did not disclose the dollar amount invested or how much equity is changing hands. The deal gives KPMG access to Reality Defender’s technology to help clients by building deepfake detection into its cyber and fraud prevention practices, according to the announcement. The inadequacy of even robust liveness detection software to stop bypass spoof attacks was shown in an assessment of Google’s selfie biometrics by a Reality Defender red team in August.

A clue to how Reality Defender plans to direct the funding comes from a separate announcement a month ago.

A LinkedIn post in which Reality Defender claimed its strongest quarter to date also notes that the company is hiring for roles including UX engineer, product marketing manager, sales enablement content strategist, customer support engineer, technical account manager, software engineer II and account executive.

Matthew P. Miller, Global Financial Services Lead for Cyber and Technology Risk at KPMG LLP says his company plans to bring Reality Defender’s synthetic media detection capabilities to its clients “as they work to stay ahead of emerging threats.”

“Together with KPMG, we can help organizations strengthen defenses against AI-enabled fraud while preserving trust in the digital interactions that power modern business,” says Reality Defender Co-founder and CEO Ben Colman in the announcement.

The deal also comes close on the heels of the biometrics testing lab operated by the “Big Four” accounting firm’s Swiss arm gaining accreditation for injection attack detection (IAD) testing. The lab’s director told Biometric Update in an email that the damage deepfakes are doing to digital trust is a tailwind for independent biometrics testing labs.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  deepfake detection  |  deepfakes  |  investment  |  KPMG  |  Reality Defender