Denmark is advancing a proposal to give people legal control over their own physical and vocal characteristics, seeking to make it unlawful to distribute AI-generated images, video or audio that imitate a person without consent. According to Time, the amendment would amend copyright law so individuals can prohibit unauthorised deepfakes of their face, voice and other identifying traits and could expose platforms to fines for non-compliance. The government says exemptions would be made for parody and satire.

Proponents argue the change reframes likeness from a privacy concern into a property right, a shift intended to provide clearer legal remedies. The Associated Press reports lawmakers and officials believe copyright-style protection gives victims stronger enforcement tools than existing privacy statutes, enabling takedown requests and compensation claims rather than leaving complainants reliant on slower or murkier regulatory routes.

The move responds to rapid advances in generative media. Coverage in The Guardian and Time highlights how synthesis tools now reconstruct micro-expressions, breathing patterns and speech idiosyncrasies with startling fidelity, increasing the frequency and sophistication of deepfakes. Industry observers point to a dramatic rise in synthetic content and warn that traditional forensic markers are being eroded as models improve.

Beyond reputation, health and safety concerns are central to the argument for reform. Reporting from AP and other outlets has documented instances in which fabricated audio or video has provoked family crises, targeted harassment and real-world danger for victims. Advocates and clinicians warn that people subjected to convincing falsified media can suffer lasting psychological harm and face obstacles proving content is manufactured.

Supporters also say legal clarity would help courts and investigators. By defining misuse of likeness as an ownership violation, prosecutors and defence teams would have a firmer framework for contesting evidence admitted as biometric or testimonial proof, and platforms would have clearer obligations to remove offending material when it violates an individual's rights. Euronews and AP coverage say the proposed law would enable formal takedown mechanisms while preserving space for legitimate expression such as satire.

The proposal raises wider questions about the reach of any ownership regime. Journalists and commentators note the proposal may prompt claims over gait signatures from camera networks, voiceprints stored by smart devices and behavioural footprints used by predictive systems. The World Economic Forum and other analyses suggest technology companies, many of which trained models on publicly scraped image and audio datasets, are likely to resist stringent restrictions, arguing for technical and commercial standards that balance innovation with individual rights.

Denmark’s approach is not presented as an attempt to halt development but as an effort to re-establish predictable rights around identity at scale. The government has sought cross-party backing and plans public consultation ahead of formal submission later in the year, positioning the change as a potential template for other jurisdictions grappling with synthetic media. Whether other countries follow will shape how much control people retain over the aspects of themselves that AI can now replicate.

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Source: Noah Wire Services