NordVPN launches AI Voice Detector to flag audio deepfakes and protect Chrome users from scams

NordVPN's Browser Extension Will Flag Suspected AI Voices

Dashia is the consumer insights editor for CNET. She specializes in data-driven analysis and news at the intersection of tech, personal finance and consumer sentiment. Dashia investigates economic shifts and everyday challenges to help readers make well-informed decisions, and she covers a range of topics, including technology, security, energy and money. Dashia graduated from the University of South Carolina with a bachelor's degree in journalism. She loves baking, teaching spinning and spending time with her family. In the never-ending battle of figuring out what's real and what's created by artificial intelligence, NordVPN has a new browser tool that can help you separate human voices from fakes. NordVPN's new tool listens to audio from your open browser window and alerts you if it detects a human or AI-generated voice. The feature is currently only available in NordVPN's Chrome browser extension, and you'll need to enable the tool to start detecting voices on websites in real time. It isn't clear when the tool will roll out to other extensions, such as Firefox and Edge, or which plans include the AI Voice Detector. NordVPN didn't immediately respond to CNET's request for comment. In the meantime, here's what we know about the tool and how it works. NordVPN partnered with NordLabs' cybersecurity experts and tested both real and AI-generated audio. The tool uses an AI model to distinguish between the two types of voices, according to Thursday's announcement. Here's how it works. You'll enable the feature in your Chrome extension, and the AI voice detector will run in the background on the tab you have open. You'll receive an update on the voice detector's results in the extension, and a pop-up that will display one of three colors from the sound: NordVPN's announcement says that the detector cannot hear what's being said and that it only analyzes acoustic characteristics. The tool isn't capable of understanding, recording or interpreting conversations. You'll hear the sound as normal while NordVPN's detector analyzes it. If you stop the detection or close your active tab, NordVPN says all audio buffers will be discarded. Nothing will be stored. NordVPN also called out the tool's security measures, including not collecting your identity, browsing history, cookies or account information. All of this makes me wonder about the false positive rate, given that NordVPN is analyzing sounds, not conversations. There are several AI detectors online, but some of them are trash. They can produce false positives (saying something is AI when it's not) or false negatives (saying something is human when it's AI) due to their inherent limitations. In most cases, there are no foolproof watermarks or signatures to indicate that something is AI-generated. Some tools, like Copyleaks' AI detector, build more trust by showing their work, indicating which red flags they base their conclusions on. NordVPN's tool might at least bring more skepticism and transparency for users, says CNET Senior Editor Moe Long. "There's a lot of AI audio out there, and some of it may be increasingly difficult to identify by the human ear," Long says. "NordVPN's AI audio detector seems helpful because it can assist folks in determining whether certain audio is AI-generated or not, which could provide various benefits, from offering transparency about voiceovers in YouTube videos and on social media sites to avoiding scams." Read more: AI Slop Is Destroying the Internet. These Are the People Fighting to Save It AI-generated voices are increasingly used in predatory ways, like creating deepfakes of people for scams. Even a hint that not every voice you hear on the internet is genuine can help you spot fraud. Long also likes that NordVPN's AI voice detector appears to offer safeguards that analyze audio while still maintaining privacy. NordVPN scores highly for CNET, earning an 8.8 out of 10 on its CNET Score. The VPN company gets praises for its speed, helpful privacy features and large international server network. However, it falls short in renewal pricing and limited split-tunnel control for Android devices.

You heard right -- NordVPN has rolled out an AI voice checker to protect you from audio deepfakes on Chrome

With the move, the VPN further refines its fraud protection and privacy safeguard services * NordVPN's new Chrome feature spots audio deepfakes * The real-time checker provides immediate scam alerts * AI Voice Detector also keeps your data protected Are you feeling a little uneasy about the AI-generated audio deepfakes that are increasingly polluting your online experience and potentially tricking you into a scam? If the answer is yes and you are worried you might be talking to an online deepfake, being tempted to reveal information only your mum knows, you'll be glad to know that NordVPN has you covered. The best VPN on the market has just integrated a new AI-powered voice detector into its Chrome extension. This means that users can now identify audio deepfakes in real time whenever they browse the web. NordVPN said that the firm currently has no plans to extend the feature to different apps. "But we would consider it if there is a need," a spokesperson told TechRadar. With the move, the VPN provider continues to expand its security offerings in its relentless fight against cybercrime, proving anti-scam capabilities are now an essential part of any top VPN service. How does it work? AI-generated voice technologies are becoming increasingly sophisticated and difficult to recognise, even to the best-trained human ear. While it may be shocking to discover that your favourite influencer is actually a synthetic voice, the dangers associated with AI-generated audio go far beyond mere fake content for entertainment purposes. Scammers are now able to clone voices using just a few seconds of audio recording, using them for identity theft scams, fraudulent calls and spreading misinformation. "AI-generated voices have become one of the most convincing tools in a scammer's arsenal, and most people have no reliable way to tell the difference," stressed product director at NordVPN Domininkas Virbickas. Developed by NordVPN and a team of cybersecurity experts at NordLabs, AI Voice Detector captures the audio stream from an active browser tab and processes it using a neural network model built into the device. While the audio continues to play normally for the user, the tool compares the sound to thousands of real and AI-generated audio samples, verifying in real time whether the user is listening to a human or synthetic voice. If the content is generated by AI, the result is displayed immediately in the form of a red pop-up or a small notification on the web page. A yellow pop-up warns that the content may be a deepfake, whilst a green pop-up indicates that the audio poses a minimal risk. Installation is a breeze: users can simply enable the feature in the NordVPN Chrome extension to start audio detection. Protecting your privacy AI Voice Detector also analyses audio data directly within the browser. This should ensure that users' data is not compromised during the process. Because of that, the tool never records your identity, browser history, cookies, or account details, ensuring that your data is never exposed. Furthermore, as soon as the recording stops or the tabs are closed, all audio buffers are immediately cleared But above all, the tool does not actually listen to what is being said. It solely examines acoustic patterns, meaning it is technically incapable of understanding, recording, or interpreting the content of any conversation. It seems that NordVPN is determined to make 2026 its year of anti-scams innovations. It has so far launched a free tool to detect online scams, rolled out its scam-blocking tool for Android globally, and upgraded its dark web monitoring, all of this while scoring top marks in independent phishing tests. With so many new features being released, it might well seem that we can't trust anyone or anything. For the time being, at least, your conversations are intact: the next time you are talking on Chrome with your bank manager who wants to discuss your bank account or a friend asking for money, you can continue to sip on your drink and enjoy spring as it comes. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!