Denmark: Siltanews – News Desk
Denmark is taking steps toward enacting a ban on the use of “deep fake” imagery online, saying such digital manipulations can stir doubts about reality and foster misinformation.
The government said in a statement that a “broad cross section” of parties in parliament support greater protections against deep fakes and a planned bill is expected to make it illegal to share them or other digital imitations of personal characteristics.
Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt, in a statement, said that it was “high time that we now create a safeguard against the spread of misinformation and at the same time send a clear signal to the tech giants”.
Officials said that the measures are believed to be among the most extensive steps yet taken by a government to combat misinformation through deep fakes, which refers to highly realistic but fabricated content created by artificial intelligence tools.
Deep fakes usually come in the form of pictures or video but can also be audio. They can make it appear that someone said or did something that they didn’t actually say or do. Famous figures who have been depicted in deep fakes include Taylor Swift and Pope Francis.
Authorities in different countries have taken varying approaches to tackling deep fakes, but they’ve mostly focused on sexually explicit images.
US President Donald Trump signed bipartisan legislation in May that makes it illegal to knowingly publish or threaten to publish intimate images without a person’s consent, including deep fakes.
Last year, South Korea rolled out measures to curb deep fake porn, including harsher punishment and stepped up regulations for social media platforms.
Supporters of the Danish idea say that as technology advances, it will soon be impossible for people online to distinguish between real and manipulated material.
“Since images and videos also quickly become embedded in people’s subconscious, digitally manipulated versions of an image or video can create fundamental doubts about — and perhaps even a completely wrong perception of — what are genuine depictions of reality,” an English translation of a ministry statement said “The agreement is therefore intended to ensure the right to one’s own body and voice.”