RTI S.p.a. (controller) – Complaint Upheld (Italy, 2026)
General GDPR enforcement action
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Italy's Garante found that RTI S.p.a. aired deepfake footage of journalist Enrico Mentana without clearly marking it as AI-generated. This misled viewers into thinking he expressed opinions he never said, harming his reputation. The ruling emphasizes the need for clear labeling of AI content to protect individuals' images.
What happened
RTI S.p.a. aired AI-generated deepfake footage of journalist Enrico Mentana without proper labeling.
Who was affected
Enrico Mentana, a well-known journalist and news anchorman, was affected by the misleading deepfake footage.
What the authority found
The Garante ruled that RTI S.p.a. failed to adequately inform viewers that the footage was AI-generated, violating data protection rules.
Why this matters
This case highlights the importance of transparency in media, especially with AI content. Media companies must ensure that viewers can easily identify AI-generated material to avoid misleading representations.
GDPR Articles Cited
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Entities Involved
The case involves media company RTI S.p.a. (the data controller, now part of Mediaset S.p.a.) and its popular TV program Striscia la Notizia. The program aired a segment consisting of satirical, AI-generated deepfakes of known Italian personalities. Among others, the program aired footage of well known journalist and news anchorman Enrico Mentana (the data subject). The footage depicted the data subject commenting on the news in the studio where he usually worked as an anchorman, and included an AI voiceover attributing words to the data subject which he never said. The footage was extremely realistic and was based on authentic footage of the data subject which had aired on a different TV network (and which the controller had licensed from another media company). In addition to airing the footage on television, the controller also made it available via its streaming platform, on its website, and on its social channels. The data subject filed a complaint. He claimed that the footage was not clearly marked as AI and that, as a consequence, many members of the audience erroneously attributed certain opinions to him and believed that he had expressed those opinions on television. On these grounds, he claimed that the deepfake footage severely harmed his personal image and professional reputation. In its defense, the controller protested that the footage came with sufficient disclaimers that made its AI nature clear. The controller also claimed that the voiceover was obviously comedic in nature and that, therefore, the footage could not be mistaken as authentic. During its investigation, the DPA found that different versions of the footage included different forms of disclaimers and markings about its AI-generated nature: * The TV version of the footage was not marked as AI-generated. However, the show had provided viewers with a disclaimer before airing the footage; * The footage on the controller’s website was not marked as AI-generated. However, a disclaimer was pre
Outcome
Complaint Upheld
A data subject complaint that was upheld by the DPA.
Related Enforcement Actions (0)
No other enforcement actions found for RTI S.p.a. (controller) in IT
This is the only recorded action for this entity in this jurisdiction.
Details
Decision Date
23 July 2026
Authority
Garante per la protezione dei dati personali
GDPRhub ID
gdprhub-10240About this data
Cite as: Cookie Fines. RTI S.p.a. (controller) - Italy (2026). Retrieved from cookiefines.eu
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