HAMBURG, Germany — Allegations by television presenter Collien Fernandes that she was targeted with pornographic deepfakes have triggered protests in Germany and prompted plans to tighten laws on AI-generated sexual content.
Fernandes told thousands of demonstrators in Hamburg that she had received death threats following the claims and was speaking under police protection. “I’m standing here with a bulletproof vest under police protection… because men want to kill me,” she said.
The 44-year-old presenter last week accused her ex-husband, Christian Ulmen, of spreading sexualised deepfake images of her online. The allegations, first reported by the German news magazine Der Spiegel, have not led to criminal charges.
Ulmen denies the accusations and has launched legal action against the publication. His lawyers, Christian Schertz and Simon Bergmann, said he has never “produced and/or distributed deepfake videos” of Fernandes, calling the claims false and incomplete.
The dispute between the high-profile former couple has fuelled a wider national debate over legal gaps surrounding deepfake pornography. Campaigners argue that German law does not clearly criminalise the creation of non-consensual sexualised AI-generated images.
A group of about 250 women from politics, business, and culture has issued a list of demands, including explicit criminalisation of producing and distributing such content. Signatories include Bärbel Bas, rapper Ikkimel, and climate activist Luisa Neubauer.
Federal Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig has announced plans to change the law, making the creation and distribution of pornographic deepfakes an explicit criminal offence punishable by up to two years in prison, according to draft proposals reported by German media.
Currently, German law primarily penalises the dissemination of such images only if it violates a person’s right to their own likeness, a threshold critics say leaves victims without adequate protection.
Fernandes said she filed a legal complaint in Spain, where the couple previously lived, citing stronger gender-based violence laws. She has also previously reported being targeted with AI-generated pornographic content and filed a complaint in Germany against unknown persons in 2024.
German prosecutors in Itzehoe confirmed that a previous investigation was discontinued last year due to lack of leads but has now been reopened following the latest allegations. Authorities stressed that the presumption of innocence applies.
The case has also increased political pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz, whose remarks in parliament linking rising violence to immigration drew criticism from opposition lawmakers. Critics argue the focus risks overlooking structural issues related to online abuse and gender-based violence.
Police statistics show the number of female victims of violence and related offences, both online and offline, reached a record high in Germany in 2024, intensifying calls for stronger legal protections against digital abuse.
Regardless of the outcome of Fernandes’ claims, the controversy has amplified public scrutiny of AI-generated sexual content and accelerated momentum for legislative reform, with lawmakers now under pressure to close loopholes and criminalise non-consensual deepfake pornography.
Source: BBC
