The Legal Framework of Deepfakes in the United Kingdom
The introduction of deepfake technology has brought about new complexities and challenges to the legal framework, especially in the areas of privacy, consent, and digital security. In response to growing concerns about the misuse of deepfake technology, the British government is taking proactive measures to address these issues through legislative means.
A recent article highlights the forthcoming introduction of legislation in England and Wales that will classify the creation of sexually explicit deepfake images as a criminal offense. Under this new law, individuals creating adult pornography images without their consent will face criminal prosecution and hefty fines. Crucially, the law applies regardless of whether the creator intended to share the images, and individuals sharing them will be subject to imprisonment.
Deepfakes, as defined in the article, are images or videos digitally altered using artificial intelligence to replace a person’s face with another. The article points out the alarming trend of using this technology to superimpose the faces of celebrities or public figures, often women, onto pornographic material.
The Online Safety Act, passed last year in the United Kingdom, specifically addresses the illegal sharing of deepfakes. The new legislation aims to make the creation of pornographic deepfakes a criminal offense, even if the creator does not intend to share them but merely seeks to cause distress, humiliation, or anxiety to the victim. It is important to note that this law applies to adult images, complementing existing legislation covering such acts when the image involves a child.
Information from: bbc.com
