Deepfake countermeasures proposed by Germany for regulation of AI-generated deception
In a significant move to protect personal rights, the Federal Council of Germany, known as the Bundesrat, has presented a draft law aimed at criminalising the use of deepfakes. The proposed legislation, numbered 21/1383, seeks to combat the growing issue of AI-powered face swapping and video editing that manipulates media content, often placing individuals in sexualized contexts they did not consent to.
The draft law proposes a specific provision in the Criminal Code to safeguard individuals from deepfakes and similar technological manipulations. Under the proposed rules, sharing computer-generated or altered media content that gives the appearance of a realistic depiction of a person's appearance, behaviour, or speech could lead to legal penalties.
The draft law also includes regulations to protect deceased individuals from deepfake abuse. Socially appropriate actions are exempt from punishment under the draft law. Aggravating circumstances could lead to increased penalties.
The draft law further includes amendments to the criminal procedure law and the rules for filing charges related to deepfakes.
Meanwhile, the Google outage in Türkiye has disrupted search, YouTube, and other services. This incident, however, does not seem to be connected to the deepfake debate in Germany.
On a different note, Google faces new restrictions in an antitrust ruling, but avoids a sale of Chrome. A Turkish entrepreneur's unusual bid to become the CEO of OpenAI went viral after a humorous rejection.
The draft law does not provide information about the author of the proposal or address the issue of Google's antitrust ruling or the entrepreneur's bid to become the CEO of OpenAI. It also does not specify whether it applies to deepfakes created or manipulated outside of Germany.
The draft law is a significant step towards protecting personal rights against deepfakes in Germany. As technology continues to evolve, it is essential for laws to adapt and address the challenges that come with it.
