Denmark Moves to Ban AI Deepfakes, Giving Citizens Copyright Over Their Own Likeness
Denmark is preparing to pass one of the world’s toughest laws against AI-generated deepfakes, aiming to give citizens new legal rights over their appearance, voice, and likeness online. The bill — expected to pass early next year — would make it illegal to share or distribute deepfake content without a person’s consent, extending copyright protections to individuals.
The proposed legislation follows growing concern about the rapid spread of deepfakes — hyper-realistic AI-generated videos, images, or audio that impersonate real people. Danish Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt said the move is essential to protect both private citizens and democracy itself, warning that political deepfakes could “undermine our democracy” by spreading falsehoods.
Under the new law, Danes would be able to demand takedowns of AI-generated content that misuses their likeness, while parody and satire would remain protected. Major tech platforms that fail to remove harmful deepfakes could face significant fines, although individuals are unlikely to face criminal penalties.
Experts have praised the move as a landmark step. “When people ask, ‘what can I do to protect myself from being deepfaked,’ the answer right now is basically nothing,” said Henry Ajder, a generative AI researcher and founder of Latent Space Advisory. “Denmark is one of the first governments to change that.”
The Danish proposal mirrors similar measures abroad. The United States recently criminalized the sharing of non-consensual intimate deepfakes, while South Korea introduced harsh penalties for deepfake pornography. Denmark’s initiative could now influence European Union policy, with France and Ireland reportedly showing interest in adopting similar laws.
For victims like Marie Watson, a Danish video game streamer whose photos were digitally altered and shared online, the legislation comes too late to undo the damage but offers hope for future protection. “When it’s online, you’re done. You can’t do anything,” she said. “It’s out of your control.”