Danish people get copyright on facial features to combat deepfakes
In the fight against deepfakes, Danish Minister of Culture Jakob Engel-Schmidt is looking into amending the copyright law to grant citizens the copyright to their own body, face, and voice.
According to Minister Engel-Schmidt, it’s far too easy to steal someone else’s voice, face, or characteristics with artificial intelligence (AI). Therefore, he wants to ban the spread of manipulated content on the internet
Under the new Copyright Act, creating and publishing fake images and videos will soon be illegal in Denmark. The bill would give Danes copyrights on their own bodies, facial features, and voices.
“In the Bill, we agree and are sending an unequivocal message that everybody has the right to their own body, their own voice, and their own facial features, which is apparently not how the current law is protecting people against generative AI. Human beings can be run through the digital copy machine and be misused for all sorts of purposes, and I’m not willing to accept that,” Minister Engel-Schmidt told The Guardian.
Once adopted, Danish citizens have the right to demand that online platforms remove deepfake images and videos if they are shared without consent. In addition, if online platforms don’t respond accordingly to the new law, they could be subjected to severe fines. “That is why I believe the tech platforms will take this very seriously indeed,” the Minister added.
The amendment has made an exception for parodies and satire, which will still be permitted, even when using AI technology. Therein lies the danger: what is considered satire and what not?
“Freedom of speech is a great thing, especially in political debates. And so it should be an exception. But that does lead to the discussion: does this fall under the exception or not? Anyone who creates a deepfake will soon say, ‘I am the exception to the rule’,” Bart van der Sloot, expert in AI and regulations, told Dutch news outlet NOS.
The Department of Culture has already secured a majority in parliament, with nine out of ten members of parliament backing the plan.
Engel-Schmidt hopes that other countries will follow Denmark’s lead. The Minister of Culture plans to use Denmark’s upcoming EU presidency to share its plans with other EU Member States.