In 2021, Danish video game live-streamer Marie Watson received a message that would change her perspective on online safety forever. What appeared at first glance to be a harmless holiday photo from her own Instagram account quickly turned into a nightmare. The image had been digitally altered using artificial intelligence—her clothing removed, her likeness manipulated to create a disturbingly realistic deepfake. "It overwhelmed me so much," Watson recalled, according to the Associated Press. "I just started bursting out in tears, because suddenly, I was there naked."
Watson’s experience is far from unique in today’s digital landscape. Over the past four years, deepfakes—highly realistic AI-generated images, videos, or audio mimicking real people or events—have become not only easier to create but also exponentially more convincing. This surge in realism is largely thanks to rapid advances in generative AI tools from tech giants like OpenAI and Google. Now, millions can generate synthetic content with just a few clicks, sometimes for entertainment, but often for more sinister purposes such as humiliating individuals, disrupting elections, or targeting celebrities like Taylor Swift and Katy Perry, according to the Associated Press.
In response to these mounting threats, Denmark is moving boldly to protect its citizens. The country is poised to pass a groundbreaking bill early in 2026 that would amend existing copyright law, making it illegal to share deepfakes that imitate personal characteristics—such as appearance or voice—without explicit consent. If enacted, every Dane would hold copyright over their own likeness, granting them the power to demand removal of unauthorized content from online platforms. As The Associated Press notes, this would be one of the most extensive government efforts to combat misinformation and abuse through deepfakes yet seen worldwide.
Importantly, the Danish bill does carve out exceptions for parodies and satire, though the exact criteria for these exceptions remain somewhat murky. Experts say that striking the right balance between protecting personal dignity and preserving creative freedom will be a challenge for lawmakers and the courts alike.
Henry Ajder, founder of the consulting firm Latent Space Advisory and a leading expert in generative AI, praised Denmark’s initiative. "Because right now, when people say ‘what can I do to protect myself from being deepfaked?’ the answer I have to give most of the time is: ‘There isn’t a huge amount you can do,’" Ajder told the Associated Press. "We can’t just pretend that this is business as usual for how we think about those key parts of our identity and our dignity." According to Ajder, the law’s passage would mark a significant shift in how societies approach digital identity and personal rights in the age of AI.
The proposed law would apply solely within Denmark’s borders and is not expected to impose fines or prison sentences on individual social media users. However, the stakes are much higher for large tech platforms. If companies like Meta (which owns Facebook and Instagram), Google, and TikTok fail to promptly remove deepfakes flagged by users, they could face severe financial penalties, according to Danish Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt. "If you’re able to deepfake a politician without her or him being able to have that product taken down, that will undermine our democracy," Engel-Schmidt said at an AI and copyright conference in September, as reported by the Associated Press. He emphasized that the bill enjoys broad support among lawmakers in Copenhagen because of the dangers deepfakes pose to public trust and democratic processes.
Denmark’s move comes amid a global reckoning with the threats posed by synthetic media. In May 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump signed bipartisan legislation making it illegal to knowingly publish or threaten to publish intimate images—including deepfakes—without a person’s consent. South Korea, meanwhile, introduced stricter penalties and new regulations last year to curb the proliferation of deepfake pornography. These international efforts underscore the urgency of the problem and the need for coordinated action.
Denmark’s leadership on this issue is attracting attention from across Europe. As the current holder of the European Union’s rotating presidency, Denmark has already received interest in its proposed legislation from other EU members, including France and Ireland, according to the Associated Press. This suggests that the Danish approach could become a model for other countries grappling with the rise of deepfakes and digital impersonation.
Big tech companies are watching these developments closely. Google-owned YouTube, for example, has been recognized for its efforts to balance copyright protection with freedom of creativity. Ajder noted that YouTube’s system is "very, very good" at navigating this tension and that the platform clearly understands the scale of the challenge ahead. Other major platforms like Twitch, TikTok, and Meta have not publicly commented on Denmark’s proposed law, according to the Associated Press.
Legal experts and industry groups in Denmark are broadly supportive of the initiative, though they acknowledge that implementation will not be simple. Intellectual property lawyer Jakob Plesner Mathiasen told the Associated Press that the legislation reflects the widespread need to address online dangers that now touch every aspect of Danish life. "I think it definitely goes to say that the ministry wouldn’t make this bill, if there hadn’t been any occasion for it," he observed. "We’re seeing it with fake news, with government elections. We are seeing it with pornography, and we’re also seeing it also with famous people and also everyday people — like you and me."
The Danish Rights Alliance, which works to protect the rights of creative industries online, also backs the bill. Its director, Maria Fredenslund, pointed out that current copyright law is simply not up to the task. "When we reported (a case) to the online platforms, they say ‘OK, but which regulation are you referring to?’" Fredenslund said. "We couldn’t point to an exact regulation in Denmark." The new law would change that, equipping citizens and organizations with the legal tools they need to fight back.
For Marie Watson, the government’s action is a welcome step, but she remains skeptical about how much will really change unless social media platforms take more responsibility. She described how easy it was to find deepfake generators online: "You could literally just search ‘deepfake generator’ on Google or ‘how to make a deepfake,’ and all these websites and generators would pop up," Watson said. She worries that once images are online, control is lost. "When it’s online, you’re done. You can’t do anything, it’s out of your control."
Denmark’s proposed deepfake law represents a bold experiment in digital rights and accountability. As the world watches, its outcome could shape the way societies everywhere contend with the double-edged sword of artificial intelligence and the future of personal dignity online.
