US criticizes allies’ deepfake laws as other countries tighten AI controls

Reality is blurring with misinformation and deepfakes, and opposing views on regulation is leading to some high-level tension.

South Korea, for example, is pursuing a bill that would impose heavy fines on traditional news outlets as well as online media that publish false or fabricated information, including deepfakes or synthetic likenesses, that cause verifiable damage.

South Korea’s bill has faced criticism from the current U.S. administration, which has accused countries pursuing digital regulation of censorship. A senior politician who has strongly criticized South Korea’s bill is due to visit Seoul and Tokyo.

At present, the EU, UK and Australia have drawn Washington’s ire over online safety bills that cover issues such as age assurance for social media. These digital regulations threaten U.S. corporations such as Apple, Meta and Google, especially as more countries draft revised online safety bills or impose age limits on social media.

The U.S. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy, Sarah Rogers, raised tensions with Seoul after calling the new law a “censorship bill threatening U.S.–Korea technology cooperation.” The revised Information and Communications Network Act, which was passed last year, targets deepfakes. Rogers has said that the Act risks “encouraging global regulatory trends.”

During her visit to Japan and South Korea, Rogers is expected to convey her concerns and to “reaffirm the Trump administration’s commitment to safeguarding freedom of expression and digital freedom,” according to a State Department release. The Chosun Daily reports that Rogers is scheduled to meet with Big Tech representatives in Korea during her visit.

This comes even as experts warn of the deleterious effects of deepfakes on public trust, especially as political parties in the U.S. are running AI-generated deepfake campaign ads. That’s right. Political campaigns are using deepfaked content ahead of the U.S. midterm elections in November, as Reuters reports. The news agency reports that both Democrats and Republicans are using the technology, with the red side more enthusiastic users.

Daniel Schiff, a professor who’s studied deepfakes at Purdue University, told Reuters that content that spreads political misinformation could erode the rigor and credibility of democratic systems, with the damage risks “supercharged” with growing use. Worryingly, AI researchers have found that political deepfakes can be persuasive even if people know they aren’t real.

America flies against international trends

While the U.S. takes a relatively relaxed stance toward deepfakes, other countries are moving in the opposite direction, treating AI‑driven impersonation as an urgent national security and economic threat.

In Malaysia, regulators and researchers are sounding warnings. The Institute for Data Innovation and Artificial Intelligence (IDEA‑AI) says the country must rapidly strengthen its AI policies and legal framework to counter a surge in deepfake‑enabled scams.

Fraud syndicates are already using AI tools to mimic voices and identities, contributing to more than 35,000 online fraud cases in 2024 and another 12,000 in the first quarter of 2025. Existing laws that were drafted long before deepfakes existed offer little protection, Mohd Saberi Mohamad, CEO and director of IDEA-AI, told Bernama.

Malaysia’s National Artificial Intelligence Office is now developing a comprehensive regulatory framework covering risk management, harm mitigation, incident reporting and ethical standards, while the Ministry of Digital prepares an AI Governance Bill.

IDEA‑AI’s leadership is calling for a risk‑based regulatory model, with strict oversight for high‑risk AI uses such as biometrics, finance and automated decision‑making. They also want a dedicated AI Act to clearly assign responsibilities to developers and users.

The Philippines is also taking a proactive stance. With 67 percent of Filipinos now worried about online misinformation and disinformation, the country is treating deepfakes not just as a political problem but as a business‑continuity and cybersecurity threat.

Filipino organizations are shifting to building reactive resilience, including rapid breach detection and strict reporting timelines. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is pushing banks to adopt server-side biometric authentication such as fingerprint or face biometrics. The country’s central bank wants this stored and verified on secure backend systems, replacing one-time passwords (OTPs) for enhanced security. It aligns with the Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act (Afasa), which aims to reduce fraud, account takeovers and phishing attacks.

Article Topics

age verification  |  Australia  |  deepfakes  |  Malaysia  |  Philippines  |  regulation  |  social media  |  South Korea  |  UK  |  United States