Denmark to tackle deepfakes by giving people copyright of their own features

The Danish government is to clamp down on the creation of AI-generated deepfakes by changing copyright law to ensure that everybody has the right to their own body, facial features and voice.

- Miranda Bryant

In what it believes to be the first law of its kind in Europe, the Danish government yesterday said it would strengthen protection against digital imitations of people's identities.

Having secured broad cross-party agreement, the department of culture plans to submit a proposal to amend the law for consultation before the summer recess and then submit the proposal in the autumn.

It defines a deepfake as a very realistic digital representation of a person, including their appearance and voice.

The Danish culture minister, Jakob Engel-Schmidt, said he hoped the bill before parliament would send an "unequivocal message" that everybody has the right to the way they look and sound.