Germany's government is facing pressure to toughen laws against digital violence after a prominent television actor accused her former husband of posting AI-generated porn resembling her on fake online accounts purporting to belong to her. According to the judiciary in Mallorca, preliminary proceedings initiated in December are currently under way.
In an article in the weekly Spiegel, actor Collien Fernandes accused her former husband, TV presenter and producer Christian Ulmen, of impersonating her online for years, including sharing sexually explicit deepfakes - videos and photos of her generated using artificial intelligence.
The case has sparked a national conversation on new forms of violence against women in the online sphere and heaped pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz's government to close legal loopholes.
More than 10,000 people gathered at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate on Sunday to call for an end to violence against women and support Fernandes, holding signs such as "Thanks Collien" and "AI won't make our bodies yours".
Fernandes said she decided to file charges in Mallorca, where the couple once lived, because of what she views as stronger legal protections for women's rights than in Germany.
"Germany is an absolute haven for perpetrators," Fernandes told broadcast news magazine Tagesthemen. Spain has specialised courts for combating gender-based violence, and since 2025, this has included digital violence such as cyberstalking and non-consensual sharing of private images.
According to the judiciary in Mallorca, preliminary proceedings initiated in December are currently under way.
The complaint alleges misrepresentation of marital status, disclosure of secrets, public defamation, habitual abuse and serious threats, it said.