EU Parliament Backs Deepfake Likeness Protections
Lawmakers call for updating the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights to shield personal identity from AI-generated fakes.
Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Artificial Intelligence
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The European Parliament adopted a resolution on Thursday calling for amendments to the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights to protect personal identity and likeness from AI deepfakes. The resolution also calls for protection against algorithmic discrimination.
Why it matters
Europe currently lacks a single set of rules protecting likeness, relying instead on the AI Act, Digital Services Act and GDPR to address deepfakes. The move comes amid rising concerns over sexual deepfakes and election interference, and could shape how fundamental rights are applied to AI across the region.
The resolution targets the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, the bloc's primary rights text, rather than a technical standard. Its specific amendment language and implementation mechanics have not been detailed in the available extraction.
The players
European Parliament
The European Union's directly elected legislative body, which represents the bloc's citizens and co-legislates on EU law alongside the Council of the EU.
The details
The European Parliament adopted a text calling for amendments to the EU's fundamental rights rulebook to cover personal identity and likeness. The resolution also addresses algorithmic discrimination, and was adopted amid rising concerns over sexual deepfakes and election interference.
Timeline
Thursday, November 12, 2026: European Parliament adopts the deepfake likeness resolution.
The Tech Race
The resolution extends the EU's AI rulebook, which currently spans the AI Act, Digital Services Act and GDPR, by proposing a fundamental-rights protection for personal likeness. It positions Europe to set rights-based limits on generative AI while rivals in other markets pursue different regulatory approaches.
If the Charter is amended, individuals across the EU could gain a fundamental-rights basis to challenge the unauthorized use of their likeness in AI-generated content. Until then, people seeking recourse must rely on existing rules under the AI Act, Digital Services Act and GDPR.
The takeaway
Protection against deepfakes is moving from a patchwork of tech rules toward explicit fundamental rights, which could affect how any AI service handling personal images must operate in Europe. Readers should watch whether the Charter amendments advance through the EU's formal legislative process.
Further reading
For broader context on how governments are regulating synthetic media, explore our Artificial Intelligence coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Mlex.
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