The phenomena of epidemic crime, deepfakes, fake news, and the role of forensic linguistics

The present study analyses the phenomena of deepfakes and fake news, together with their linguistic fingerprints, to understand how these may influence the public, including in their decision making. Nowadays, linguistic fingerprints are present mostly in digital forms; therefore, forensic linguistics was also recently introduced as a subject and involves the analysis of linguistic fingerprints. The present study provides an insight into the contribution of linguist and forensic linguist experts in the work of investigative authorities. Linguistic fingerprints can convey messages and provide evidence to support an investigation, such concerning the following questions: Who could the perpetrator be? Who could have written the message? The linguist expert can also help develop a profile of perpetrators, including their likely age, sex, ethnicity, or help prove the validity of news versus fake news as well as other attributes of sources. These aspects are all covered in the present study.