The European Parliament has today backed a landmark ban on AI applications used to create non-consensual nude images, according to Fine Gael MEP Maria Walsh.
The vote, which took place in Brussels on March 26 as part of the Digital Omnibus package, includes an explicit ban on ‘nudification’ apps – tools that have gained traction for generating intimate deepfake images of individuals without their consent.
MEP Maria Walsh, a full member of the European Parliament’s Gender Equality (FEMM) Committee, has spent the past two years campaigning for stronger EU action on deepfakes, and has welcomed today’s result.
MEP Walsh is also a member of the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) Committee which has joint responsibility for the Digital Omnibus legislation in the European Parliament.
MEP Maria Walsh said:
“Today’s vote shows that the EU will not allow artificial intelligence to be used to exploit and humiliate women and girls. ‘Nudification’ apps are not harmless tools; they are a form of digital violence that can have devastating and lifelong consequences for victims.
“Over the past two years, I have highlighted that deepfake technology is being used to create non-consensual intimate images, overwhelmingly targeting women, with little accountability for those responsible. The recent controversy surrounding X’s Grok AI tool, which has been used to generate explicit deepfake images and is now under investigation, shows just how urgent this issue has become.
“I have been calling for stronger EU and national action on this for years, and today’s vote is a major step forward in finally closing that gap in our laws. We must be clear: consent does not disappear online. The creation and sharing of these images is a violation of a person’s dignity, privacy and safety, and it requires a strong legal response.
“This is about protecting people, particularly young women and girls, from a rapidly growing form of cyberviolence. Today, the European Parliament has shown that it is ready to act.”