Overview
- A Hamburg higher regional court on June 22 found it undisputed that fake profiles were created, pornographic photos and videos of women resembling Collien Fernandes were shared, and sexualized messages were sent in her name.
- The court also barred the Spiegel from implying that Christian Ulmen had made or distributed deepfake videos, drawing a legal distinction between manipulated photos and the more technically specific claim of video deepfakes.
- Collien Fernandes said hate messages and death threats have risen again after the decision and that she fears for her safety, reporting panic attacks and damage to her professional life.
- Prosecutors are still probing whether the acts amount to sexualized digital violence, and a separate Potsdam inquiry continues into an alleged physical incident on Mallorca in 2023.
- Current German criminal law does not yet outlaw pornographic deepfakes explicitly, Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig proposed a draft law in April, and the court’s findings are intensifying calls for clearer statutory protections and easier enforcement for victims.