Digital Likeness Rights Philippines: AI, Deepfakes, Face & Voice

Last materially reviewed: September 6, 2026

Direct Answer

The Philippines does not yet have one comprehensive enacted statute creating a standalone ‘digital likeness right’ for every person. However, unauthorized use of a person’s face, voice, identity or synthetic likeness may still trigger existing rules on privacy, dignity, personal information, intellectual property, fraud, defamation, harassment, contracts and other civil or criminal law depending on the facts. Separate deepfake and digital-likeness bills are also pending and should not be confused with current law.

Key Takeaways

There is no single omnibus digital-likeness statute currently in force.
Article 26 of the Civil Code protects dignity, personality, privacy and peace of mind and can support damages or preventive relief in appropriate cases.
The Data Privacy Act may apply when identifiable personal information is processed, subject to its scope and exceptions.
Performers have specific rights over performances under the Intellectual Property Code.
Deepfake use may also implicate cybercrime, fraud, defamation, harassment, consumer or election rules depending on purpose and context.
Pending bills in 2026 propose more explicit face, voice, identity and deepfake protections, but pending bills are not yet law.

Legal Status

Issue	Status as of September 6, 2026
General digital likeness right	No single comprehensive enacted law.
Civil privacy and personality protection	Existing Civil Code remedies may apply.
Personal-data processing	Data Privacy Act may apply when its requirements are met.
Performer voice/performance rights	Protected in specific circumstances under the Intellectual Property Code.
Dedicated deepfake legislation	Multiple proposals remain pending.

What Is a Digital Likeness?

A digital likeness can include a person’s face, voice, image, mannerisms or other identity features represented digitally. Generative AI can create synthetic versions of those attributes, including face swaps, cloned voices, avatars, fabricated videos and realistic impersonations.

The legal issue is not simply whether the content was created by AI. The purpose, consent, context, harm, commercial use, deception, data processing and relationship between the parties can all matter.

Civil Code Protection of Dignity, Personality and Privacy

Article 26 of the Civil Code states that every person must respect the dignity, personality, privacy and peace of mind of others. It allows causes of action for damages, prevention and other relief for specified and similar acts even when the conduct is not itself a criminal offense.

That provision is important for deepfake and likeness disputes because harmful impersonation may affect privacy, dignity or personal reputation even where no dedicated deepfake statute applies.

Does the Data Privacy Act Apply to Faces and Voices?

Republic Act No. 10173 applies to processing of personal information within its scope. A face, voice recording or other identifier can be personal information when an individual is identifiable from it, although the Act contains important exclusions and context-specific rules.

Businesses using face or voice data for AI training, verification, marketing, profiling or other processing should examine lawful basis, transparency, proportionality, security, retention and data-subject rights.

See Data Privacy Rights in the Philippines and AI and Data Privacy Philippines.

Do Performers Have Additional Rights?

Yes. The Intellectual Property Code provides specific rights for performers over performances, including rights relating to fixation, reproduction and communication in defined circumstances. Performers also have moral rights connected to identification and prejudicial distortion or modification of their performances.

These rights are not identical to a universal publicity or likeness right, but they can be highly relevant where a singer, actor, broadcaster or other performer has a protected performance copied or manipulated.

What If AI Clones Someone’s Voice?

Voice cloning can implicate several areas at once: privacy, personal information, performer rights, fraud, contracts, defamation and consumer deception. A cloned voice used for a scam creates different legal risks from a clearly disclosed parody or a licensed commercial voice model.

See AI Voice Cloning in the Philippines.

What If a Deepfake Uses Someone’s Face?

A fabricated face or video may raise issues under the Civil Code, Data Privacy Act, cybercrime laws, defamation rules, harassment laws, intellectual property rules or sector-specific regulation depending on the facts. The strongest legal theory depends on what the creator or distributor actually did and what harm resulted.

See Are Deepfakes Illegal in the Philippines?.

Commercial Use of a Person’s Likeness

Using a person’s face or voice to imply endorsement, affiliation or sponsorship can create additional exposure. Contracts, advertising rules, consumer protection, unfair competition and other legal theories may apply alongside privacy and personality interests.

Businesses should obtain clear permission before using a real person’s identity in advertising, synthetic avatars, cloned voices or AI-generated endorsements.

What Pending Legislation Exists?

Several proposals in the 20th Congress seek to regulate digital likeness and deepfakes more explicitly. Senate Bill No. 1714, filed January 27, 2026, is titled the Digital Likeness and Deepfake Regulation Act and remained pending in committee as of the latest official Senate record reviewed. House Bill No. 10227 proposes protection of personality rights against unauthorized use of face, voice and identity through AI and deepfake technology. Other House proposals also address deepfake impersonation.

These bills are proposals, not enacted law. Cybercode will continue to distinguish pending legislation from rules already in force.

What Should You Do If Your Face or Voice Is Misused?

Preserve the original URL, account, post, message or file.
Capture screenshots and screen recordings without altering the only copy.
Save dates, usernames, platform IDs and surrounding context.
Identify whether the use involves fraud, harassment, defamation, intimate content, advertising or impersonation.
Use the platform’s reporting or takedown process where appropriate.
Preserve proof of identity, ownership or the original recording where relevant.
Consider NPC, law-enforcement, civil or intellectual-property remedies depending on the conduct.

Child-protection boundary: Sexualized synthetic likenesses that depict or represent a child may fall within the separate OSAEC and CSAEM framework under RA 11930.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I own my face under Philippine law?

Philippine law does not express the issue as a simple universal ownership right over one’s face. Instead, several legal protections can apply to misuse of identity, privacy and personal information.

Can someone legally clone my voice?

Not automatically. Legality depends on how the recording was obtained, the purpose of the clone, consent, data-processing rules, fraud or deception, performer rights and other surrounding facts.

Is every deepfake illegal?

No. There is no blanket rule making every synthetic or altered depiction unlawful. Harmful or deceptive uses may violate existing laws, while other uses may not.

Is Senate Bill No. 1714 already law?

No. It is pending legislation and should not be described as an enacted statute.

Related Cybercode Guides

Official Sources

Disclaimer

Important:

For the practical likeness issue, read Deepfakes and Your Likeness in the Philippines.

This article provides general educational information about Philippine law, regulation, cybersecurity, technology, or business compliance. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Laws, bills, agency guidance and court interpretations can change. Verify current status and obtain professional advice for specific disputes.

Digital Likeness Rights Philippines: AI, Deepfakes, Face and Voice