Deepfakes (AI-generated synthetic media capable of producing highly realistic images, audio, and video of real individuals) have graduated from a mere novelty to a genuine legal concern. Using neural networks trained on visual and audio data, deepfake systems can replicate a person’s appearance and voice with remarkable fidelity, producing content that is often indistinguishable from genuine footage. While the technology has legitimate applications, it has also been deployed for harmful purposes, such as non-consensual intimate imagery, fraud, identity theft, defamation, and misinformation. 

While many jurisdictions recognise the need to protect individuals against unauthorised use of their image and voice, there are significant divergences across the globe as to how these issues are regulated and managed. Our article examines how several key jurisdictions – Spain, Germany, Italy (and the EU more broadly) and China – are responding to these challenges.

The full article is available here.