Deepfakes and Digital Sovereignty

The rapid rise of deepfake technologies has fundamentally challenged the reliability of digital information, raising urgent questions about who controls data, identity, and truth in the global data economy. This chapter analyzes deepfakes as a governance problem that reshapes power across digital systems. Using the Data Technology Platform Governance model, it explains how synthetic media operates through interconnected layers of data, artificial intelligence, platforms, and governance structures. The chapter argues that existing regulatory approaches remain fragmented and reactive, struggling to address the transnational and scalable nature of synthetic media. It highlights key risks, including violations of privacy, manipulation of digital identity, and erosion of trust in democratic processes. The chapter also examines emerging forms of resistance and concludes by emphasizing the need for coordinated and adaptive governance strategies that balance innovation with the protection of rights and public trust.