Denmark Moves to Let Citizens Copyright Their Own Faces, Voices

The Danish government is preparing to introduce a new law that would allow individuals to claim copyright over their own facial features, voice, and body—part of a sweeping effort to curb the misuse of generative AI technologies like deepfakes.

Though the proposal still needs to be formally submitted, the Ministry of Culture has already secured cross-party backing. Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt said the bill sends "an unequivocal message" about personal ownership. “Everybody has the right to their own body, their own voice and their own facial features, which is apparently not how the current law is protecting people against generative AI,” he told The Guardian.

Denmark’s AI Regulation Targets Deepfakes and Identity Theft

This legislative shift would place Denmark at the forefront of legal efforts to safeguard personal identity from digital manipulation. Unlike traditional copyright laws, which protect creative works, this initiative reframes the human body and identity traits as copyrightable elements—giving individuals more control over how their likeness is used.

By targeting the unauthorized generation and use of a person’s image or voice, the measure would provide a legal mechanism to combat deepfakes created without consent, especially in sensitive or malicious contexts.

U.S. Deepfake Laws Fall Behind Denmark’s Copyright Approach

In contrast, U.S. states have passed a patchwork of deepfake laws, most of which focus narrowly on election interference and sexually explicit content. These laws could be undercut by a federal proposal in the latest budget reconciliation bill. If passed, the measure would prevent individual states from regulating AI technologies for the next decade—raising concerns about the erosion of local control over digital privacy.

What This Means

Denmark’s move represents a significant evolution in how governments are thinking about identity in the age of AI. By recognizing a person’s physical traits and voice as copyrightable, the proposal redefines personal rights in a digital context—potentially setting a precedent for other countries grappling with similar challenges.

The initiative underscores a growing global tension: how to protect individual rights without stifling technological progress. Denmark’s proposal may become a global model—or point of contention—in the fast-growing debate over how to regulate AI’s impact on personal identity.

Editor’s Note: This article was created by Alicia Shapiro, CMO of AiNews.com, with writing, image, and idea-generation support from ChatGPT, an AI assistant. However, the final perspective and editorial choices are solely Alicia Shapiro’s. Special thanks to ChatGPT for assistance with research and editorial support in crafting this article.