Governing Harms from Deepfakes in Crisis Situations

Comparing Legal and Regulatory Frameworks of G7 Countries and the EU

Autori

Parole chiave:

risk mitigation, AI legislation, natural disasters, violent conflict, AI regulation

Abstract

This study analyses deepfake-related initiatives of the Group of Seven (G7) countries—Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States—and the United Nations and the European Union from a comparative perspective to examine in what ways, if any, AI-generated inaccurate content, generated in times of crises such as natural disasters, is regulated in these countries. Using the Social Amplification of Risk Framework (SARF), a theory that explains how risk perceptions and communication create ripple effects, we demonstrate why the potentially detrimental risks that might come from deepfakes, which aim to distort societies in times of crises, should be accounted for in national and global initiatives to regulate the AI-generated content. We collected and thematically analysed documents using a qualitative open coding approach. The findings demonstrated that while existing and proposed country-specific laws and regulations reviewed offer useful principles, they were not designed to address the kinds of digital harms arising from the use of deepfakes in crises such as natural disasters. Global initiatives also contained the same limitations: despite encouraging responsible innovation and digital transparency, existing frameworks did not address the kinds of harms associated with deepfake use in disaster scenarios. Overall, these initiatives failed to provide concrete strategies for crisis management or harm mitigation from deepfakes deployed to mislead the public in natural disasters or to initiate or escalate violent conflict. Based on the analysis, the article offers implications and recommendations for policymakers and for future studies.

Biografie autore

Katerina Tsetsura, University of Oklahoma

Katerina Tsetsura, Ph.D., is Gaylord Family Professor of Public Relations and Strategic Communication at the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Oklahoma in the USA. Dr. Tsetsura is internationally known for her work in global public relations and media transparency. She is a co-author of Transparency, public relations, and the mass media: Combating hidden influences in news coverage worldwide (2017, Taylor & Francis) and co-editor of Strategic Communications in Russia: Public Relations and Advertising (2021, Taylor & Francis). Her research areas include studying societies in transition, global public relations development, media transparency, public diplomacy and government relations, and understanding and enhancing community resilience. 

H M Murtuza, University of Oklahoma

HM Murtuza, a doctoral student at the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Oklahoma in the USA. After a decade-long career in journalism, he is now focused on studying how newsrooms and journalists are adopting Generative AI (GenAI) and what contextual factors shape technology adoption trajectories in non-Western journalism.

Mark Raymond, University of Oklahoma

Mark Raymond, Ph.D., is the Wick Cary Associate Professor of International Relations and the Director of the Cyber Governance and Policy Center at the University of Oklahoma. He also serves as the Associate Director for International Security Policy with the Oklahoma Aerospace and Defense Innovation Institute. He is the Associate Editor of the journal International Theory and Co-Chair of the American Political Science Association’s International Relations Theory Section. He is the author of Social Practices of Rule-Making in World Politics (New York: Oxford University Press, 2019). His research sits at the intersection of international relations theory and the role of digital technologies in world politics.

Typhaine Joffe, University of Oklahoma

Typhaine Joffe recently completed her Master of Arts in International Studies at the University of Oklahoma, where she served as a Graduate Research Assistant. She also holds a Master’s degree in International and European Studies from the University of Valencia and a Bachelor’s degree in European Studies in English from the University of Clermont Auvergne. Her research explores the intersection of cybersecurity, international law, and diplomacy.

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Pubblicato

2025-12-31

Come citare

Tsetsura, K., Murtuza, H. M., Raymond, M., & Joffe, T. (2025). Governing Harms from Deepfakes in Crisis Situations: Comparing Legal and Regulatory Frameworks of G7 Countries and the EU. Mediascapes Journal, 26(2), 201–221. Recuperato da https://rosa.uniroma1.it/rosa03/mediascapes/article/view/19352

Fascicolo

V. 26 N. 2 (2025): Risk (of) Communication: Ethics, Futures, and Strategic Complexity

Sezione

Saggi

Licenza

Creative Commons License

TQuesto lavoro è fornito con la licenza Creative Commons Attribuzione 4.0 Internazionale.

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