Colin Fernandes, a German activist who has exposed the use of deep‑fake technology that targets women, received public praise from Mona Neubaur, the deputy premier of North Rhine‑Westphalia and a member of the Greens. In a guest column for the “Rheinische Post” on Monday, Neubaur described Fernandes as “a brave woman” and said “her step into the public eye is a strong signal for many other women who remain silent because they fear what will happen to those who speak out”.
The deputy premier warned that deepfakes are no longer an isolated issue. “Legislatively we are still not making progress; we are trailing behind” she said. “Placing a fabricated, sexualised image of a woman online destroys dignity and safety-often with consequences comparable to physical violence. Criminal law must reflect that. We therefore aim to reform sexual‑crime legislation so that digital and physical violence are treated equally”. She added that significant legal gaps remain in dealing with deepfakes and that these gaps must be closed.
Neubaur also called for the establishment of specialised courts for both analogue and digital sexual violence, citing examples from other countries. “In Spain, for instance, where Fernandes is now filing a lawsuit, specialised courts exist” she noted. “Women who report such crimes deserve a system that is properly trained and that does not initially make them feel like they are already on the defence side”.