Denmark’s government is moving to significantly strengthen protections against deepfakes by amending national copyright laws to grant citizens exclusive rights to their own bodies, facial features, and voices.
Danish Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt stated that the government aims to send a clear message that every person has unequivocal ownership of their physical appearance and vocal features, protections not currently guaranteed under existing law, particularly against misuses related to generative AI technologies.
Though Denmark’s culture ministry still needs to formally submit the proposed legal amendments, the initiative has already attracted broad cross-party support, signaling a strong likelihood of passage.
Similar measures have emerged internationally, particularly in the United States, where individual states have adopted various regulations combating deepfake misuse, especially regarding elections and nonconsensual explicit content. However, those state-level regulations may now face serious challenges, as Congress considers proposed legislation within an upcoming budget reconciliation bill aimed at barring individual states from independently regulating AI-driven technologies for the next decade.
