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NLJ this week: Deepfake risks & a serious lack of remedies

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The use of deepfake technology is on the rise, and can look alarmingly realistic. Consequently, there is vast potential for harm. But can existing laws provide any protection against malicious use? 

In this week’s NLJ¸ Liam Tolen, senior associate, and Chris Fotheringham, solicitor, at Ashfords, assess the potential risks and remedies.

Tolen and Fotheringham find the current law lacking in scope and the Online Safety Bill missing any specific civil remedy for deepfake harm. They consider current laws, including the common law right to bring a claim for passing off. However, they note that a ‘regular person who isn’t a celebrity’ could have difficulty proving the requirements for a passing off claim. 

Read more on the rise of deepfakes here.

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NEWS
Commercial leasehold, the defence of insanity and ‘consent’ in the criminal law are among the next tranche of projects for the Law Commission
Tech companies will be legally required to prevent material that encourages or assists serious self-harm appearing on their platforms, under Online Safety Act 2023 regulations due to come into force in the autumn
The Bar has a culture of ‘impunity’ and ‘collusive bystanding’ in which making a complaint is deemed career-ending due to a ‘cohort of untouchables’ at the top, Baroness Harriet Harman KC has found
Lawyers have broadly welcomed plans to electronically tag up to 22,000 more offenders, scrap most prison terms below a year and make prisoners ‘earn’ early release
David Lammy, Ellie Reeves and Baroness Levitt have taken up office at the Ministry of Justice, following the cabinet reshuffle
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