(de-news.net) – Stronger legal and institutional safeguards are needed for individuals whose personality rights are compromised by manipulated visual material, according to Federal Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig (SPD), who has argued that the production and dissemination of AI-generated sexualized images must be effectively curtailed. As reported by various media outlets, she stressed that criminal law must be refined to address the problem of digital image manipulation more directly and that victims must be able to pursue legal remedies with far greater ease. She explained that revisions to both criminal provisions and regulatory frameworks are currently in preparation, with the aim of closing existing gaps and providing clearer mechanisms for intervention.
Hubig said she was particularly alarmed by the ‘Bikini jetzt’ trend, which she characterized as a striking illustration of how AI tools such as Grok are being deployed to generate large quantities of sexualized or provocative images of women without their knowledge or consent. In her view, such practices not only reduce women to objects but also systematically undermine their personality rights, turning unauthorized AI manipulation into a widespread form of digital violation. The minister suggested that the prevalence and popularity of these tools reflected deeper cultural and societal problems, indicating a readiness among users to engage in behavior that normalizes the degradation of others. She emphasized that the creation of sexualized AI images of children and adolescents is especially abhorrent and insisted that such conduct cannot be tolerated under any circumstances. Although existing law already imposes severe penalties for the possession and distribution of child pornography, she noted that AI-generated images may likewise meet the legal criteria for criminal classification.
Hubig argued that, even though current legal instruments allow action to be taken against manipulated images involving adults, these tools remain insufficiently robust. She explained that the government is drafting a digital protection bill intended to establish explicit penalties for deepfakes that violate personality rights, with particular emphasis on sexualized depictions and manipulations designed to demean, mock, or humiliate those depicted.
Another central objective, she observed, is enhancing the enforceability of individual rights by ensuring that victims can have unlawful content removed promptly and its further spread halted. She stated that improved national rules are being developed and suggested that platforms may be required to suspend accounts that repeatedly facilitate serious rights violations, thereby increasing accountability for those who perpetuate harmful content. Responding to criticism that such measures would infringe on freedom of expression, Hubig rejected the claim outright. She underscored that artistic and expressive freedoms remain constitutionally and legally protected, but that these freedoms find their limits where they encroach upon the personality rights of others. When such boundaries are crossed, she argued, affected individuals must have access to effective legal recourse.
Hubig also clarified that Germany does not intend to follow the approach taken by Malaysia or Indonesia, where certain AI tools have been completely disabled. Instead, she maintained that the goal is not to ban technologies wholesale or to impose broad platform shutdowns, but to ensure that rights are protected and that existing laws are meaningfully enforced. She also noted that responsibility for regulating platforms lies primarily with the European Union and welcomed Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s decision to initiate a formal review of Grok. Beyond targeted amendments to criminal statutes, Hubig emphasized that safeguarding victims from the harms associated with such manipulation and enabling them to assert their rights effectively remain central priorities of the German government’s legislative agenda.
