Collien Fernandes ujawnia sprawę kradzieży tożsamości w programie Caren Miosga

German actress and presenter Collien Fernandes appeared on the ARD talk show "Caren Miosga" on March 29, 2026, describing in detail how fake social media profiles were created in her name over the course of years, through which pornographic images and videos were distributed to men in her private and professional circle to create the impression that she had recorded the material herself. Fernandes, who reverted to her birth name after previously using the surname Ulmen-Fernandes, stopped short of naming her ex-husband Christian Ulmen directly for much of the broadcast, but her accusations have been widely linked to him. The Prokuratura w Itzehoe announced it had resumed an investigation into Ulmen for stalking following a report by Der Spiegel. Ulmen is presumed innocent, and his lawyer has denied some of the accusations on his behalf. The episode drew unusual attention even before it aired, with Ulmen's lawyer publicly attacking the format in advance.

Prawnik przed emisją nazwał program „telewizyjnym sądem” Christian Schertz, acting as legal counsel for Christian Ulmen, gave an interview to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung ahead of the broadcast in which he criticized the program sharply. „Telewizyjny sąd obraduje z najwyższą przedstawicielką wymiaru sprawiedliwości w Niemczech i osobą składającą skargę.” — Christian Schertz via N-tv The NDR responded immediately, stating that the program intended to highlight Germany's shortcomings in prevention and criminal law using the Fernandes case as a lens. Schertz had also issued a statement clarifying that his client had "not created or distributed any AI-generated videos," a point Fernandes herself addressed directly on air. Fernandes confirmed that her case does not involve deepfakes or secretly recorded footage, but rather identity theft: real pornographic content distributed through fake profiles designed to look as though she had posted it herself. The program's structure was deliberately designed to separate the individual case from the political debate — Fernandes spoke alone with host Caren Miosga first, and only afterward did the political panel, which included Federal Minister of Justice Stefanie Hubig, join the discussion without Fernandes present. Activist Theresia Crone, a law student and former climate activist who had herself been targeted by pornographic deepfakes, was added to the guest list at short notice.

Minister sprawiedliwości przyznaje, że Niemcy mają „luki w odpowiedzialności karnej” Federal Minister of Justice Stefanie Hubig appeared on the program and acknowledged that Germany has significant ground to cover in protecting victims of digital violence. „Nie jesteśmy tam, gdzie powinniśmy być. Mamy luki w odpowiedzialności karnej. To oczywiste.” — Stefanie Hubig via tagesschau.de Hubig described her draft law on digital protection against violence as completed and already in coordination between ministries, adding that the production of pornographic deepfakes would be expressly punishable under the new legislation, and that the distribution of non-pornographic deepfakes would also become punishable. However, Fernandes pointed out that her specific case — involving real pornographic content distributed through fake profiles — falls outside the scope of what is currently being discussed politically, meaning the planned legislation would not cover situations like hers. Hubig also signaled a need for amendments to her own draft during the broadcast. The minister called for a stronger social debate on sexualized violence and stated that women affected by domestic violence must receive a clear signal of support. „Żaden mężczyzna nie ma prawa dopuszczać się przemocy. I to nie jest wina kobiety.” — Stefanie Hubig via tagesschau.de

Fernandes wskazuje Hiszpanię jako wzór i domaga się dłuższych terminów zgłoszeń Fernandes used her appearance to make concrete legislative demands, pointing to Spain as a model for stronger legal protections against both domestic and digital violence. „W Hiszpanii są znacznie surowsze kary za wszystkie te rzeczy, które dotykają przede wszystkim kobiety — zarówno przemoc domową, jak i przemoc cyfrową. Uważam, że ważne jest, by sprawcy byli jasno pokazani: to jest niedopuszczalne.” — Collien Fernandes via tagesschau.de She called specifically for longer reporting deadlines in domestic violence cases, describing the current three-month deadline as far too short. 2.4 (procent) — odsetek przypadków przemocy cyfrowej, które są zgłaszane Fernandes argued that the low reporting rate reflects both the inadequacy of existing law and a lack of sensitivity among investigative authorities, calling for training for officers who receive such complaints. Activist Theresia Crone, whose own complaint over pornographic deepfakes resulted in a conviction — one perpetrator was sentenced to a fine of 100 (stawek dziennych) — grzywna nałożona na sprawcę deepfake'ów skazanego po skardze Crone — also criticized the justice system's handling of such cases, saying a court had recently told her at the last instance that she must endure the material because she had placed herself in the public eye. The Die Welt review of the program noted that several details of the Fernandes case, including the status of proceedings in Spain, remained unverified and difficult to assess in full, given that the accused was absent and the presumption of innocence applies throughout.

Przemoc cyfrowa wobec kobiet, w tym niezaeprzestrzenianie intymnych zdjęć bez zgody oraz tworzenie fałszywych profili w internecie, staje się coraz ważniejszym tematem prawnym i politycznym w Europie. Niemiecki kodeks karny był krytykowany przez ekspertów prawa i organizacje społeczne za to, że nie nadąża za formami przemocy możliwymi dzięki technologii cyfrowej. Sprawa Fernandes ponownie przyciągnęła ogólnokrajową uwagę po publikacji Der Spiegel, która skłoniła prokuraturę w Itzehoe do wznowienia śledztwa w sprawie stalkingu. Omawiana w programie sprawa Theresii Crone pokazała zarówno możliwości, jak i ograniczenia obowiązującego prawa: doprowadzono do skazania, ale później sąd wyższej instancji orzekł, że Crone jako osoba publiczna musi tolerować część kierowanej przeciwko niej przemocy.