Denmark wants to give copyright to faces. Here’s why

Denmark is moving to redefine copyright law by giving individuals legal control over their own facial features, body and voice to combat the risks of AI-generated deepfakes, according to a recent report by The Guardian.

According to the report, the Danish Ministry of Culture is proposing a reform that seeks to explicitly establish personal ownership rights over one's physical identity, which are not currently protected under existing legislation. 

While the formal proposal has yet to be submitted, the initiative has already received broad cross-party backing in parliament.

The move, which reportedly has the support of nine out of ten members of parliament, comes as advances in artificial intelligence make it increasingly easy to fabricate realistic images, videos and audio that mimic another person's likeness.

Once approved, the changes to Danish copyright law would, in principle, allow individuals to request the removal of such content from online platforms if it has been shared without their consent. The legislation would also apply to realistic, AI-generated imitations of an artist's performance, offering the possibility of compensation in cases of violation, as per the report.

The government has clarified that the proposed rules would not apply to parodies or satire, which would continue to be legally protected, as per the report.