Denmark Amends Copyright Law To Protect Against Deepfakes

The Danish government is in the process of passing an amendment that will allow people to copyright their body, facial features, and voice — the first law of its kind in Europe.

Why It Hits: Even though nonconsensual deepfakes — which Denmark defines as a very realistic digital representation of a person, including their appearance and voice — are increasingly becoming an issue, governments have been slow to respond to the threat they pose to their citizens. The Danish law could serve as a blueprint for the rest of Europe, and potentially the US, to follow.

Behind the Curtain: Denmark wants to give its people the power to delete deepfakes.

• The proposal from the Department of Culture has received a “broad cross-party agreement” and will be sent to Parliament for review. The amendment will be officially voted on in the fall.
• The amendment would allow people to demand that online platforms immediately delete both video and audio deepfakes of themselves, or else those platforms could face severe fines and be forced to compensate victims.
• The law would also cover “realistic, digitally generated imitations” of an artist’s performance without proper approval.
• The rules would not affect parody or satirical content, however.

The Future: Danish Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt said that the government wants to send “an unequivocal message that everybody has the right to their own body, their own voice, and their own facial features.” Denmark will have a major platform for that message when the country assumes the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union later this year.

Prediction: Although Denmark is a relatively small country, the power of having the European Commission behind it could encourage tech giants to comply… potentially making the law the de facto standard on deepfakes throughout the pro-regulation continent.