Denmark tackles AI by giving citizens copyright to their faces, voices

Denmark has proposed a legislative amendment that would grant individuals legal ownership of their facial likeness, voice, and physical representation, effectively treating these personal attributes as copyrightable elements.

The initiative is aimed at fighting the growing use of deepfake technology, which allows for the realistic digital manipulation of a person’s image or voice without their consent.

Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt said the policy targets digital misuse by allowing people to challenge the unauthorised circulation of manipulated content.

In a statement to the press, Engel-Schmidt noted that individuals should not be exposed to the risk of being replicated digitally for misleading or exploitative purposes.

He said such practices amount to a disregard for human dignity and should be legally restricted.

“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,” he told The Guardian UK.

The proposed changes would enable Danish citizens to request the removal of unconsented digital imitations from public platforms, including synthetic renderings of artistic performances.

The law outlines that compensation may be available for those adversely affected, while also specifying that satire and parody would be exempted from infringement claims.

The bill has gained widespread political endorsement, with a significant majority in parliament supporting the measure. It is scheduled to be formally debated later this year following a public consultation phase.

Government officials indicated that if digital platforms fail to comply with removal requests, the state may seek intervention from the European Commission and impose financial penalties.

Engel-Schmidt said the proposal reflects Denmark’s commitment to protecting citizens’ digital autonomy and called on other European nations to consider similar reforms.