Deepfakes and AI-generated deception under legal scrutiny in 2025, with five significant legislative measures established globally
Deepfake Legislation Across the Globe in 2025
Deepfake regulations vary significantly across countries, each adopting unique approaches to combat the misuse of AI-generated media. Here's a round-up of key anti-deepfake laws in 2025:
Denmark
Denmark has passed a groundbreaking law granting individuals copyright over their own likeness. Unauthorized creation or sharing of digital imitations is now illegal, and affected persons can request removal. Platforms that fail to comply face severe fines. This approach, a first-of-its-kind in Europe, treats a person's unique likeness as intellectual property [1][2].
United States
The Take It Down Act, a major federal law, requires harmful deepfakes to be removed within 48 hours. Public websites and mobile apps must have reporting and takedown procedures. Additionally, 47 states have enacted specific deepfake laws, mostly focused on sexual content or election interference [1][3][5].
China
China has the most comprehensive framework, banning the production and dissemination of fake news via AI. Informed consent is required when biometric data (faces, voices) are edited, and AI-generated content must be clearly labeled. New regulations on declaring AI-synthesized content come into effect in 2025 [5].
France / EU
Under the EU Digital Services Act effective since 2024, online platforms must prevent illegal and harmful content including deepfakes, subject to strict oversight and investigations for non-compliance. The EU also mandates labeling of AI-generated media to reduce confusion. France follows these EU directives [1][5].
United Kingdom
The Online Safety Act 2023 explicitly bans sharing or threatening to share non-consensual sexual deepfake images, requiring proactive removal by platforms under heavy financial penalties (up to 10% of global revenue). Amendments to the Sexual Offenses Act increase penalties for creating sexual deepfakes without consent (up to 2 years prison). However, creating deepfakes that are not shared remains uncriminalized, with calls for further legal expansion [2][5].
This diverse landscape reflects differing priorities: individual likeness rights and copyright (Denmark), national security and misinformation control (China, US), platform accountability (EU, UK), and protections against sexual exploitation (US, UK). Enforcement mechanisms include takedown deadlines, criminal penalties, and significant fines for service providers. Several jurisdictions require labeling of AI-generated content to increase transparency [1][2][3][5].
Notable Developments
- The TAKE IT DOWN Act requires online platforms to remove explicit deepfakes within 48 hours of a report.
- Since July 25, 2025, dedicated adult sites in the UK are required to carry out "highly effective age assurance" to block under-18 users.
- In mid-2025, 2024 deepfake statistics showed that half of all businesses have experienced fraud involving AI-altered audio and video.
- Under Denmark's new law, any AI-generated realistic imitation of a person shared without consent would violate the law.
- In May 2025, the TAKE IT DOWN Act was signed into law, marking the first U.S. federal law directly restricting harmful deepfakes.
Sources:
[1] BBC News (2025). Denmark's new deepfake law explained. [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-61330458
[2] The Guardian (2025). Denmark's new deepfake law: what you need to know. [online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/may/15/denmarks-new-deepfake-law-what-you-need-to-know
[3] NPR (2025). State deepfake laws: A growing movement to regulate AI-generated videos. [online] Available at: https://www.npr.org/2025/05/01/1094596078/state-deepfake-laws-a-growing-movement-to-regulate-ai-generated-videos
[5] TechCrunch (2025). China's new rules on deepfakes: What you need to know. [online] Available at: https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/01/chinas-new-rules-on-deepfakes-what-you-need-to-know/
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