Germany: Introduced Bill relating to criminal protection of personality rights against deepfakes

On 5 July 2024, the Federal Council of Germany (Bundesrat) introduced a draft law aimed at the criminal protection of personality rights against deepfakes to the German Federal Parliament. The draft law creates a new criminal offense named the violation of personality rights through digital forgery. It criminalises the creation and distribution of media content that realistically depicts a person’s appearance, behaviour, or speech using computer technology without consent, punishable by up to two years in prison or a fine. The draft law also includes protections for deceased persons, increased penalties for aggravating circumstances and exemptions for socially acceptable actions.