Stars from the world of sport and media have joined Mills & Reeve in backing a new campaign, calling for greater legal protections as the rise in deepfakes and AI-generated content escalates.
England and Chelsea footballer, Lucy Bronze, has joined other high-profile stars including Cole Palmer, Kieran Trippier, Tan France and Kyle Walker, in calling on the UK government to introduce new personality rights legislation to help protect how an individual’s identity is used online.
The ‘My Name, My Face’ campaign also has the support of the global football players union FIFPRO, the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), as well as other athlete representatives such as the Rugby Players Association, the Professional Cricketers Association, the Professional Darts Players Association and the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association.
It comes on the back of a proliferation of deepfakes, with government figures suggesting there were eight million deepfakes shared in 2025 alone, up from 500,000 in 2023. Generative AI is making it easier than ever to create realistic images, videos and voices of individuals without their knowledge or consent, prompting significant concerns about whether UK law provides adequate protection for people's identities.
Legal experts at Mills & Reeve, the leading UK law firm behind today’s campaign launch, have highlighted that the increasing use of deepfakes, AI-generated images and voice cloning technology is exposing a significant gap in English law, which currently offers no standalone right for individuals to control how their image, likeness or voice is used.
Lucy Bronze, Chelsea FC Women footballer, said: “The rise of deepfakes is unsettling because they can take away a person’s control over their own image and identity. As athletes, we work hard to build trust with supporters and be a positive role model for young people. When technology is used to create fake content that appears real, it can be damaging not only to the person involved but also to everyone who sees and shares it. No one should have to worry that their face, likeness or reputation can be manipulated without their consent. We need greater awareness, stronger protections, and real accountability to make sure people, especially women and girls, are protected from this kind of abuse.”
The issue extends beyond celebrities and public figures. As AI tools become more accessible, concerns are growing around personal autonomy, consent, and the safeguarding for individuals to control how their identities are used online.
The warning comes ahead of a long-anticipated government consultation on digital replicas, which is expected to examine the unauthorised creation and use of AI-generated representations of individuals. Recent cases have highlighted the growing scale of the issue, including Dolly Parton’s sister issuing a plea to fans over “fake AI garbage” after the singer’s death, and concerns over AI-generated voices and digital replicas prompting more than 80 performers to call for stronger protections. Businesses have also experienced the risks posed by increasingly sophisticated deepfake technology.
Despite the government consultations, individuals seeking to challenge the misuse of their image currently must rely on a patchwork of legal protections, including copyright, trademark, data protection and passing off. Mills & Reeve lawyers say those protections can be difficult to apply and were not designed for an era in which convincing digital replicas can be created and distributed within seconds.
Alex Newman, partner and IP lawyer at Mills & Reeve, said: “Imagine discovering a video of yourself online. The voice sounds like yours. The face is yours. Friends and colleagues believe it is genuine. Yet you never recorded the video, never gave permission for your likeness to be used and were not involved in its creation. Advances in generative AI mean this scenario is no longer hypothetical. Realistic digital replicas can now be created using publicly available photographs, video clips and voice recordings.
“AI has transformed the ease with which someone's face, voice or likeness can be reproduced and shared. Despite this, UK law does not currently provide a single, clear right that allows individuals to control how those elements of their identity are used. This raises some uncomfortable questions about consent, control and the legal protection of personal identity.
“The forthcoming consultation on digital replicas will be an important opportunity to consider whether the existing legal framework remains fit for purpose. However, as policymakers and campaigners continue to debate how this can be tackled, it seems increasingly apparent that we need a single, standalone right allowing individuals to control the use of their image, voice or likeness.”
In response to the current backdrop, Mills & Reeve has launched the ‘My Name, My Face’ campaign which calls for the introduction of personality rights legislation, which would give individuals ownership/protection of their own personality against AI deepfakes and impersonation. This would be similar to a proposed copyright law change in Denmark.
Maheta Molango, CEO of the Professional Footballers’ Association, said: “Professional footballers and other high-profile individuals are increasingly having to navigate a world where their name, image, and identity can be replicated and used without their knowledge or consent. The rapid development of AI and deepfake technology mean this is becoming easier, more convincing and potentially more damaging, affecting not only a player’s reputation and commercial interests, but their personal lives too.
“Everyone should have the right to decide how their identity is used. The law needs to keep pace with technology, ensuring individuals have the protections they need when their likeness is exploited. That is why the PFA is supporting Mills & Reeve and the “My Name, My Face” campaign for personality rights legislation to be introduced in the UK.
“Footballers may be among some of the most visible people affected by this issue, but this goes far beyond sport. Everyone should have greater control over the use of their name, face, voice and identity in the age of AI.”
To find out more and support the call for stronger personality rights in the UK. Get involved and add your name and face to the campaign - www.mynamemyface.com
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