header-logo header-logo

Deepfakes: a new frontier in civil law?

121599
Liam Tolen & Chris Fotheringham ask whether the law can protect individuals from deepfake harms
  • Advocates for a legal framework to protect individuals exposed to non-consensual deepfakery.
  • Looks at the possibility of intellectual property and defamation laws being applied in civil claims.
  • Notes legislative steps have been made, with more on the way, but there are still no specific civil remedies made available for those affected by deepfake technology.

One of ITV’s recent TV releases, Deep Fake Neighbour Wars, a comedy show that sends up celebrities, has attracted hostile feedback from some quarters. The reason is its use of deepfake technology to put celebrity faces on actors’ bodies.

Whether it’s Adele driving a London bus, or Idris Elba arguing with Kim Kardashian over the garden fence, the technology creates a fairly convincing fake and therefore an effective spoof.

The show is a clear use of deepfake technology being shown in an amusing way; however, the technology itself can be harmful.

What is deepfake technology?

Deepfakes are a

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Hogan Lovells—Lisa Quelch

Hogan Lovells—Lisa Quelch

Partner hire strengthens global infrastructure and energy financing practice

Sherrards—Jan Kunstyr

Sherrards—Jan Kunstyr

Legal director bolsters international expertise in dispute resolution team

Muckle LLP—Stacey Brown

Muckle LLP—Stacey Brown

Corporate governance and company law specialist joins the team

NEWS

NOTICE UNDER THE TRUSTEE ACT 1925

HERBERT SMITH STAFF PENSION SCHEME (THE “SCHEME”)

NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND BENEFICIARIES UNDER SECTION 27 OF THE TRUSTEE ACT 1925
Law firm HFW is offering clients lawyers on call for dawn raids, sanctions issues and other regulatory emergencies
From gender-critical speech to notice periods and incapability dismissals, employment law continues to turn on fine distinctions. In his latest employment law brief for NLJ, Ian Smith of Norwich Law School reviews a cluster of recent decisions, led by Bailey v Stonewall, where the Court of Appeal clarified the limits of third-party liability under the Equality Act
Non-molestation orders are meant to be the frontline defence against domestic abuse, yet their enforcement often falls short. Writing in NLJ this week, Jeni Kavanagh, Jessica Mortimer and Oliver Kavanagh analyse why the criminalisation of breach has failed to deliver consistent protection
Assisted dying remains one of the most fraught fault lines in English law, where compassion and criminal liability sit uncomfortably close. Writing in NLJ this week, Julie Gowland and Barny Croft of Birketts examine how acts motivated by care—booking travel, completing paperwork, or offering emotional support—can still fall within the wide reach of the Suicide Act 1961
back-to-top-scroll