DOI: 10.5325/jinfopoli.16.2026.0016 ISSN: 2158-3897
Deepfakes and Data Protection
Mubarak Ayowole Raji, Valentine Ugwuoke, Masooda BashirAbstract
This study examines how twenty-one African data protection laws address rising deepfake privacy concerns by looking at whether their personal data definition contains deepfake identifiers, images, and voices. Using thematic content analyses and structural coding, the article’s authors observed that fourteen of the twenty-one laws expressly mentioned some deepfake identifiers. Six other countries did not explicitly cover deepfake identifiers, but they can be inferred. Seychelles is so limited that it may not cover the identifiers. Data protection laws could serve as interim measures to address deepfake privacy issues; however, this article advocates for a more comprehensive approach and framework.