Top News

Denmark to grant citizens rights over their face, voice
27 Jun 2025

Denmark is taking a major step to combat the rise of artificial intelligence (AI)-generated deepfakes.

The Danish government has announced plans to amend its copyright law, granting individuals rights over their own body, facial features, and voice.

This move comes as part of an effort to bolster protection against digital imitations of people's identities.

The proposed amendment is expected to be submitted for consultation before summer recess and finalized in autumn.

Bill aims to protect against misuse of people's identities
Rising threat

Deepfakes, or realistic digital representations of a person, including their appearance and voice, have become increasingly common with the rapid advancement of AI technology.

The Danish culture minister, Jakob Engel-Schmidt, emphasized that this bill is meant to send an "unequivocal message" that everyone has rights over their own body and voice.

He said he wouldn't accept people being misused for all sorts of purposes through these digital copies.

Individuals will have the right to remove content
Legal amendments

The proposed changes to Danish copyright law would give individuals the right to have any digital content, mimicking their appearance or voice, removed from online platforms.

This would also apply to "realistic, digitally generated imitations" of an artist's performance without consent.

If these rules are violated, those affected could be compensated. However, parodies and satire will still be allowed under the new regulations.

Denmark's EU presidency will share plans with European counterparts
Regional impact

Engel-Schmidt hopes that Denmark's initiative will inspire other European countries to follow suit.

He plans to use Denmark's upcoming EU presidency to share these plans with his European counterparts.

If tech platforms fail to comply with the new law, they could face "severe fines," and it may even become an issue for the European Commission.