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In an effort to curb unsolicited generative AI and deepfakes, Denmark has announced that it is looking to change its copyright law to grant its citizens copyright of their own face, body and voice.
In what it calls the first law of its kind in Europe, the Danish government announced on Thursday (10 July) that it would be pushing for copyright law to be amended. This would allow people in Denmark to demand that online platforms that use their likeness without their consent remove that content.
Minister for Culture Jakob Engel-Schmidt told The Guardian that he hoped the bill would send a message stating that everyone deserves the right to how they sound and look.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
Engel-Schmidt believes that tech giants will take the legislation very seriously, as violations could result in “severe fines” and could become a matter for the European Commission.
The government’s department of culture has already secured broad cross-party agreement, with nine in 10 MPs backing the plan.
The legislation will also cover unconsensual “realistically, digitally generated imitations” of performances by artists, who could receive compensation when cases are identified.
The Ministry of Culture plans to submit a proposal before the summer recess, before submitting the amendment in the autumn. The Danish government hopes that other European Union countries will follow its lead and introduce similar legislation, and it aims to use its EU presidency to push for change.
“Of course, this is new ground we are breaking, and if the platforms are not complying with that, we are willing to take additional steps,” said Engel-Schmidt.
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