German law enforcement addresses challenges from AI-generated deepfakes
German law enforcement agencies reported that AI-generated deepfakes of public figures are creating criminal justice challenges. The Landeskriminalamt Rheinland-Pfalz noted that existing laws are insufficient and advocated for a dedicated criminal offense, while deploying AI-based detection technology to identify manipulated content.
What happened
AI-generated deepfake images and videos of known personalities are causing problems for German police and courts. Examples include AI-generated photos of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and false profiles under the name of German actress Collien Fernandes in March.
The Landeskriminalamt (LKA) Rheinland-Pfalz stated that while existing law is sufficient in many cases to prosecute deepfake fabrications, there is no specific criminal offense for deepfakes. Prosecutors must examine which existing laws apply on a case-by-case basis, potentially including personality rights violations, defamation, stalking, coercion, extortion, or violations of copyright law.
Reported impact
Manipulated images discredit people and spread propaganda. AI-generated pornographic videos present increasing challenges for police and the justice system.
Finding those responsible is particularly difficult. The origin and source of the material is often hard to reconstruct, as content is spread quickly via messenger services, platforms, and anonymous accounts. When crimes are reported late, important data is often deleted, and investigators face limitations with anonymously-operated accounts abroad.
Index analysis
The LKA identified that police are heavily dependent on cooperation from internet service providers to identify perpetrators. A key problem is that initial distribution and responsible persons often cannot be clearly identified, particularly on internationally-used platforms.
To better detect manipulated content, Rheinland-Pfalz has deployed an AI-based deepfake detector developed with police specialists. The system was undergoing testing at the time of reporting.
Governance controls
The LKA stated that a clearer legal basis would be helpful and that a dedicated, unified criminal offense for deepfakes would be welcomed.
Modern technology does not replace classical evidence collection procedures.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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