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Social Democrats in Ireland propose new legal measures to give people statutory ownership over their likeness and voice online, addressing the rising menace of AI-generated deepfakes and extremist content.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns has set out plans for a new law to give people statutory control over how their likeness and voice are used online, a move aimed squarely at the surge in AI-generated deepfakes and the mass production of child sexual abuse imagery. Speaking at her party\u2019s national conference, Ms Cairns said the measure would create a form of \u201clike ownership\u201d over a person\u2019s image and voice and introduce legal consequences for those who generate manipulated material without consent. [2]<\/a><\/sup>,[4]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n Cairns framed the proposal as closing a gap in current protections, arguing that intellectual property regimes largely protect creators while ordinary citizens remain vulnerable when their faces or voices are copied or synthesised. The plan seeks to treat unauthorised replication of identity as a specific harm rather than relying on existing copyright or privacy laws ill-suited to the scale and speed of generative AI. [3]<\/a><\/sup>,[4]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n Her intervention follows a separate bill brought forward by Fianna F\u00e1il TD Malcolm Byrne, the Protection of Voice and Image Bill 2025, which similarly proposes criminal offences for the unauthorised publication, distribution or use of a person\u2019s name, photograph, voice or likeness for purposes such as advertising, political messaging or fundraising. Byrne has likened AI-enabled impersonation to counterfeit currency and urged laws to evolve as the technology does. [2]<\/a><\/sup>,[3]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n Cairns criticised what she described as a comparatively muted Irish response to platform accountability, contrasting it with firmer action elsewhere in Europe. She noted that while French authorities carried out raids over concerns linked to social media platforms, in Ireland platform representatives had been \u201cpolitely asked for a meeting\u201d in the Oireachtas. The remarks underline growing political pressure in Dublin to match wider European regulatory efforts. [1]<\/a><\/sup>,[5]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n Beyond criminalisation of deepfakes, Cairns said policymakers must tackle the algorithmic drivers that amplify hateful or harmful content, particularly where children and minority groups are affected. She commented that \u201cit\u2019s hard for politics to keep up at times,\u201d and urged authorities to consider systemic changes rather than piecemeal age bans that leave young people exposed. On the question of restricting under\u201116s from social media, she said such measures \u201cshould be looked into,\u201d while stressing the need for platforms to be safer by design. [1]<\/a><\/sup>,[5]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n The proposal arrives as the Oireachtas prepares broader work on AI governance, including an expected parliamentary committee on artificial intelligence and the ongoing progression of Byrne\u2019s bill, which completed its Second Stage in D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann on 1 April 2025. Advocacy from victims and politicians across the island has reinforced calls for statutory remedies, and a separate consultation in Northern Ireland has gathered testimony from people affected by explicit deepfakes. [4]<\/a><\/sup>,[5]<\/a><\/sup>,[7]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n If enacted, the measures championed by Cairns and others would mark a shift from treating deepfakes as a novel nuisance towards recognising them as a sui generis form of wrongdoing requiring tailored criminal and civil remedies. The proposals underline a broader European trend to impose clearer duties on platforms and to give individuals more direct legal recourse when artificial intelligence is used to impersonate, humiliate or exploit them. [2]<\/a><\/sup>,[3]<\/a><\/sup>,[6]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n Inspired by headline at:<\/strong> [1]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\nSource Reference Map<\/h3>\n