Worldwide Lawsuit Initiatives against AI-generated Deepfakes: Key Legislation of 2025
Deepfake Legislation Around the World: A Look at Denmark, the United States, and China
In the ever-evolving digital landscape, the issue of deepfakes has become a significant concern for individuals and governments alike. This article explores the most notable deepfake laws in Denmark, the United States, and China, focusing on their efforts to protect citizens' identities from AI-generated manipulations.
Denmark has taken a pioneering approach, embedding deepfake legislation within its copyright law. The Danish government's amendment treats an individual's likeness as a protected work under the Danish Copyright Act, granting rights holders the ability to issue takedown notices, seek damages, or pursue infringement claims against unauthorized AI-generated deepfakes. Protection lasts for the lifetime of the individual plus 50 years after death, with fair use exceptions for parody, caricature, and social criticism. This legislation aims to hold online platforms accountable for promptly removing harmful deepfakes to curb misinformation, non-consensual pornography, and reputational harm [1][3][5].
The United States has yet to establish a comprehensive federal deepfake law, but some state-level laws have been enacted. For instance, Tennessee's "Preventing Deepfake Images Act" (effective July 1, 2025) creates civil and criminal causes of action against the non-consensual use of someone's intimate likeness. Tennessee also criminalizes AI tools that generate child sexual abuse material, making possession or production a felony. These laws emphasize protecting privacy and preventing AI-facilitated child exploitation but do not yet provide a broad federal framework addressing general deepfake identity manipulation [2].
China has not yet reported a deepfake law comparable to Denmark's or Tennessee's. However, China has been active in broader AI governance and cybersecurity legal frameworks that impact digital identity and misinformation. In March 2025, China introduced the Measures for Labeling of AI-Generated Synthetic Content, establishing a traceability system for all AI-generated media. The law requires both visible and invisible watermarks on AI-generated content and bans the alteration of these watermarks [2][3].
In summary, Denmark's law is the most advanced in specifically granting copyright-like protections over AI-generated imitations of personal identity, combined with obligations for platform accountability. U.S. state laws like Tennessee's address misuse of intimate images and AI-generated child exploitation tools criminally but lack a unified federal deepfake identity law. China's approach appears less specifically codified on deepfakes alone at this time, focusing more on overall AI and digital information regulation.
As the fight against deepfakes continues, it is expected that more countries will follow suit in enacting legislation to protect their citizens from the harmful consequences of AI-generated misinformation.
[1] Denmark's Deepfake Legislation
[2] Deepfake Laws Around the World
[3] China's Measures for Labeling of AI-Generated Synthetic Content
[5] Denmark's Amendment to its Copyright Law
- In the domain of digital security, forensics solutions are essential for investigating deepfake incidents, ensuring the authenticity of digital content.
- The entertainment industry, alongside general-news outlets, must exercise vigilance in verifying content to prevent the dissemination of deepfakes, which can distort facts and create unwarranted identity control.
- As deepfake technology advances, it becomes increasingly crucial to integrate its solutions into our lifestyle to safeguard our security and identity.
- The convergence of technology and deepfakes has significant implications for individual privacy and the overall news ecosystem, necessitating coordinated international efforts to combat misinformation.
- The intersection of deepfakes, identity verification, and technology raises ethical questions that broader society must address to create a more secure digital lifestyle and maintain public trust in entertainment and general news.
