In a significant step against digital deception, Denmark plans to empower its citizens with a new copyright law aimed at countering deepfakes. This legislation will allow people to demand the removal of unauthorized digital forgeries that misuse their likenesses on social media platforms.
Deepfake technology, which employs advanced AI to create lifelike images, videos, or audio clips, poses challenges as it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish from reality. As the situation escalates globally, many governments, including in the U.S., have begun to impose regulations to keep pace with these advancements due to both their legitimate uses and potential for harm, such as scams and nonconsensual pornography.
Rather than relying solely on criminal codes to combat the risks posed by deepfakes, the proposed Danish law takes a novel approach by aiming to amend copyright legislation. “Technology has outpaced our current legislation,” remarked Jakob Engel-Schmidt, Denmark’s culture minister. He emphasized that the bill is designed to safeguard fundamental rights as privacy boundaries are tested in the digital landscape.
This pioneering effort may also set a precedent for other nations within the European Union, as Denmark currently holds the EU presidency and hopes to influence wider policy on this pressing issue.
