The Danish government will tighten measures against the creation and spread of fake material generated by Artificial Intelligence (deepfakes), changing copyright law to ensure that every individual has the right to their body, facial features and voice. On Thursday, the Danish government said it would strengthen protections against digital imitations of people’s identities, in what could be the first law of its kind in Europe, The Guardian reports. With the cross-party agreement, the culture department plans to issue a proposal to consult on changing the current law before the summer and the amendment will be published in the autumn.
It defines a “deepfake” as a highly realistic digital representation of a human being, including their appearance and voice. The Danish Minister of Culture, Jakob Engel-Schmidt, said he hoped the bill would send an “irrefutable message” that everyone has a right to the way they look and speak. “Human beings can be turned into digital copy machines and misused for any purpose, and I am not prepared to accept that,” he told The Guardian. The move, which has the support of nine out of ten ministers in parliament, comes after the rapid development of AI has made it easier than ever to create a fake image, video or voice that mimics someone else’s features.
With the adoption of the changes to copyright law, Danish citizens theoretically gain the right to ask online platforms to remove content posted without approval. It would also cover “realistic, digitally generated imitations” of an artist’s work without their consent. Violation of the proposed rules could result in damages for those affected. The government said the new rules would not affect parodies and satire, which would be allowed. “Of course we are treading new ground and if the platforms do not comply, we are ready to take further steps,” Engel-Schmidt said.
He hopes other European countries will follow in Denmark’s footsteps. He wants to use Denmark’s upcoming presidency of the European Union to share the country’s plans with European allies. If tech platforms don’t respond according to the law, they could be subject to “high fines,” he said, adding that he believes they “will take this very seriously.”