Denmark Says: Hands Off My Face
Denmark just did what Silicon Valley won’t, give people legal ownership of their own face, voice, and body. Should deepfakes now come with a copyright strike?
Denmark is drawing a digital line in the sand: deepfakes that steal your face, voice or likeness without consent will soon be illegal. A new copyright law, likely the first of its kind in Europe, grants individuals ownership of their own features, marking a bold shift in the fight against AI misuse.
The law defines deepfakes as realistic digital imitations of a person’s identity, and gives citizens the right to demand takedowns and claim damages.
Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt calls it a “digital copy machine” crackdown, an unequivocal message that your body is not public domain. The bill, supported by 90% of Danish MPs, will head to consultation this summer and be tabled in autumn. Satire and parody remain protected, but platforms that don’t comply could face heavy EU-level fines.
This is more than a privacy upgrade, it’s an assertion of digital sovereignty. As AI erodes personal boundaries, Denmark is codifying consent as law.
- The bill gives legal rights to facial likeness and voice
- Platforms must remove AI imitations on request
- EU-wide push may follow via Denmark’s presidency
In an era where pixels impersonate people, Denmark just asked the right question: who owns you, if not you? What happens when your identity can be cloned in seconds, and only the law can stop it?
Read the full article on The Guardian.
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