China is confronting a mounting legal and ethical crisis surrounding the proliferation of unauthorized AI-generated deepfakes, with iconic film star Stephen Chow emerging as a primary victim. The sophisticated manipulation of digital likenesses has ignited urgent calls for enhanced platform governance and stricter enforcement of digital identity rights across the nation.
The controversy gained significant traction when Stephen Chow’s agent, Chen Zhenyu, publicly challenged the legality of these synthetic media creations through a Weibo post this Monday. Chen questioned the platforms’ regulatory failures while suggesting creators were likely monetizing these unauthorized representations without consent.
This technological dilemma has become particularly pronounced during the Spring Festival period, with AI-generated greeting videos featuring celebrities like comedians Feng Gong and Cai Ming alongside Hong Kong superstar Andy Lau appearing unexpectedly in users’ social media feeds. These fabricated clips show celebrities casually making dumplings in homes and delivering personalized holiday wishes, blurring the boundaries between reality and simulation.
Legal experts are sounding alarms about the fundamental rights violations inherent in such practices. Professor Zhang Linghan, Director of the Institute of AI Law and Governance at the China University of Political Science and Law, emphasized that facial and vocal data constitute sensitive personal information with distinct biometric functions. Their unauthorized commercial exploitation represents a clear infringement of individual rights.
China’s existing legal framework, including provisions within the Civil Code and specific regulations governing deep synthesis technologies, explicitly classifies faces and voices as protected personal data. The legislation establishes that unauthorized creation or distribution of such content violates portrait and voice rights, with liabilities extending even to non-commercial applications. The alarming realism of contemporary synthetic media poses substantial risks for misinformation campaigns and fraudulent activities, potentially undermining the integrity of digital ecosystems.