Deepfakes used to defraud Germans with fake health product endorsements
Deepfake videos using the likeness and voice of German television personality Eckart von Hirschhausen were created to fraudulently advertise health products in Germany. Von Hirschhausen warned that deepfakes pose a serious threat to democracy and personal identity rights, and called for making deepfake production itself illegal.
What happened
AI-generated deepfake videos were created using the face and voice of German television journalist and physician Eckart von Hirschhausen to impersonate him in fraudulent advertising.
The deepfakes advertised health products, including claims about a supplement called Moringa, to deceive consumers into making purchases.
Reported impact
Von Hirschhausen reported that deepfakes of his likeness undermine personal identity rights and represent a serious threat to democracy, as citizens can no longer trust what they see and hear.
He stated that if personality rights are not better protected digitally, people lose control over their own identity.
Index analysis
Von Hirschhausen noted that deepfakes have become so realistic that even experts can scarcely distinguish them from authentic content.
He warned that when people cannot determine what is true and what is false, the foundation for informed judgment collapses, destabilizing society and democracy.
Governance controls
Von Hirschhausen called for making the production of deepfakes itself illegal, comparing it to counterfeiting currency, which is prohibited even for private purposes.
He argued that responding only after harm occurs is insufficient and that preemptive legal measures are necessary.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.