Israeli Deepfake Detection Startup Clarity Raises $16M to Verify War Videos

With deepfake technology advancing rapidly, one Israeli startup is working to detect manipulated media through its AI solutions. Clarity, a Tel Aviv-based cybersecurity firm focused on deepfake detection, announced a $16 million seed round last week that will fuel its efforts to authenticate footage from the recent Israel-Hamas war.

Led by Walden Catalyst Ventures and Bessemer Venture Partners, the funding will allow Clarity to double its 15-person team and ramp up R&D. As deepfake videos and images flooded social networks during the conflict, showing both Hamas propaganda and scenes from Gaza, discerning real from fake grew critical. Clarity stepped in to vet material for the Israeli government and partner Kaltura, leveraging computer vision, metadata analysis and other techniques.

Co-founder and CEO Michael Matias, an ex-IDF cyber officer, sees deepfakes as a new threat that changes the nature of warfare. “Digital lives are under attack by deceitful but highly realistic deepfakes,” he warns. With AI tools enabling quick, high-quality deepfakes, defending truth online is paramount. Clarity aims to restore trust in media and help address misinformation’s harmful effects.

Going forward, the startup will continue refining its patented deepfake detection systems and expanding verified, fact-checked content archives. As synthetic deepfake media risks grow, Clarity’s mission to authenticate reality takes on increasing importance worldwide.