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Deepfakes: can’t believe your eyes?

122300
Oliver Lock outlines some possible legal routes to stop the misuse of deepfake technology
  • The legal industry and beyond are grappling with how to tackle deepfakes, a technology that is rapidly evolving and can have an insidious impact on reputation and credibility.
  • There are current legal routes available, from privacy laws in the UK to image rights in the US that are arguably fit for purpose to tackle deepfakes.
  • However, it will take the combination of legal, technical, and societal efforts to prevent the creation and spread of deepfakes for nefarious purposes.

Former US president Donald Trump was arrested in New York on 4 April. However, you may be forgiven for initially thinking that he had been arrested two weeks earlier when videos emerged online appearing to show Trump yelling at and fighting off NYPD officers or, in another, breaking free from police officers while Melania and Donald Trump Jr shout in protest of his arrest. These videos have been viewed many millions of times.

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National Pro Bono Centre—Esther McConnell & Sarah Oliver Scemla

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NEWS
NLJ columnist Stephen Gold dives into the quirks of civil practice, from the Court of Appeal’s fierce defence of form N510 to fresh reminders about compliance and interest claims, in this week's Civil Way
Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys [2025] EWHC 2341 (KB) has restated a fundamental truth, writes John Gould, chair of Russell-Cooke, in this week's NLJ: only authorised persons can conduct litigation. The decision sparked alarm, but Gould stresses it merely confirms the Legal Services Act 2007
The government’s decision to make the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) the Single Professional Services Supervisor marks a watershed in the UK’s fight against money laundering, says Rebecca Hughes of Corker Binning in this week's NLJ. The FCA will now oversee 60,000 firms across legal and accountancy sectors—a massive expansion of remit that raises questions over resources and readiness 
The High Court's decision in Parfitt v Jones [2025] EWHC 1552 (Ch) provided a striking reminder of the need to instruct the right expert in retrospective capacity assessments, says Ann Stanyer of Wedlake Bell in NLJ this week
Paige Coulter of Quinn Emanuel reports on the UK’s first statutory definition of SLAPPs under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023in NLJ this week
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