Overview
- Bavarian Justice Minister Georg Eisenreich has publicly called for a maximum prison term of up to five years for severe sexualized deepfakes, saying their harm is comparable to bodily injury.
- A first draft law already proposes to criminalize creating and sharing sexualized deepfakes and to let victims request account blocks, but that draft sets a lower two-year maximum sentence.
- Victims including actress Teresa Rizos have reported finding pornographic videos that use their faces, describing shock, shame and damage to reputation that supporters say the law must address.
- Deepfakes use artificial intelligence to paste a person’s face into images or to mimic voices, creating realistic false portrayals that are used for revenge porn, bullying and fraud.
- If Eisenreich’s push succeeds it could expand offenses to cover identity misuse and increase penalties, which would shape upcoming legislative debate and enforcement options for victims.