German Actress Accuses Ex of Deepfake Porn Abuse

Collien Fernandes, a prominent 44-year-old German actress and television personality, has accused her ex-husband, actor and presenter Christian Ulmen, of creating and distributing deepfake pornographic images of her online for over a decade, sparking widespread protests across Germany and renewed calls for stricter laws on digital abuse.

In a detailed account published in Der Spiegel magazine earlier this month, Fernandes alleged that Ulmen secretly created online accounts in her name to share explicit AI-generated videos of her with at least 30 men. She further claimed he used computer-generated audio to impersonate her voice in phone sex interactions. The abuse, she said, began during their marriage and continued after their 2016 divorce. Fernandes had been aware of the images for years and discussed their psychological toll in a 2024 documentary on deepfake victimization. After reporting the matter to police that year, she stated that Ulmen confessed to her over Christmas, prompting her to identify him as the perpetrator. An initial investigation into unknown suspects was closed in June 2024 due to lack of leads, but prosecutors announced on Friday that they are now...