In his letter to the Legal Affairs Committee, the President of Latvia emphasised that in Latvia – a parliamentary state – the Saeima possesses the competence to elect, appoint or confirm the highest and leading state officials. The scope of authority of these officials and the competence of the institutions they head are critical to the integrity of Latvia's democratic institutions and the protection of democratic values. The public is entitled to expect that the appointment of the highest public officials will be conducted in a transparent, fair and lawful process, free from undue influence.
"The creation or dissemination of deliberately false and discrediting information about candidates for the highest state offices during the processes of election, appointment or confirmation, with the use of deepfake technology, may cause significant or even irreparable damage to Latvia’s national and international interests, as well as to the collective public interest," reads the letter of President Rinkēvičs to the Legal Affairs Committee of the Saeima.
The President asserts that deepfake technologies enable the perpetration of criminal acts with greater ease, speed, and effectiveness, resulting in significant harm. Latvia must stand ready to implement an effective countermeasure to such criminal offences.
Accordingly, the President of Latvia invites the respective Saeima committee to consider the possibility of supplementing the Criminal Law with a new article that would impose liability for the creation or dissemination of deliberately false discrediting information about a candidate for public office who is elected, appointed or confirmed by the Saeima with the use of deepfake technology, provided that this act is done during the process of election, appointment or confirmation of a public official as stipulated by legal provision.