How to run a consent review before creating or publishing synthetic media of a person

What to take away

This workflow suits a legitimate project using an adult's likeness or voice. It is not a method for laundering scraped material into permission. Here are the uses it does not replace legal review for:

Write the proposed representation first

Describe what the audience will see or hear in one paragraph. Name the person, the conduct, the words, and the product. Name the setting, the realism, the channels, and the languages. Name the dates and the paid promotion. If that description sounds broader than the participant expects, stop before making a test.

Separate a technical demonstration from publication. A closed prototype approval does not permit a public campaign.

Inventory the inputs

For each portrait, clip, voice sample, script or reference, record who created it and who owns the copyright. Note the people depicted or audible, and where and when the file was acquired.

Then record the license or release and its scope. Note whether the file carries metadata or hidden identifiers, and whether it may enter a hosted model. Note any deletion or return requirement.

Do not upload identity documents, unreleased masters or third-party images merely because the tool accepts them.

Review the person and the context

Ask whether an ordinary viewer could identify the person from face, voice, body, or name.

Several uses can harm even when the synthetic element is labeled:

Its signatories also call for meaningful transparency, accessible removal mechanisms and stronger protection for children. Exact legal duties vary by jurisdiction, so confirm them with a licensed attorney where you operate.

Inspect the tool contract

Capture the service name, plan, model, version, region and review date. Check whether inputs or outputs are retained, used to train systems, reviewed by people, shared with vendors or made public. Note any broad license grant.

Record the account controls and the deletion limits. If the contract conflicts with the person's approved limits, change the tool or the project. A private workspace label is not evidence of technical isolation.

Approve the output, not an idea

Show the person the final file, the caption, the landing page, the product, the disclosure and the nearby claims. Give enough time to review without a producer waiting on a live call. Record accepted and rejected versions separately.

Approval should name the exact items:

Add disclosure and provenance

Write a visible statement that identifies the synthetic element and the permission where it is known. Do not say "authorized" if only the photograph was licensed.

Keep the source list, the prompt record, the model details and the output hash. Keep the edit log, the reviewer name, the disclosure text and the release identifier with them.

Test whether the disclosure survives crops, reposts, autoplay, small screens, audio-only playback and translation. Keep a plain caption even when technical credentials are embedded.

Prepare withdrawal and response

Assign an inbox, a decision owner, a backup contact, a pause switch, a distributor list and a response deadline. Write who can stop paid placement and who can request platform, host or search action. Revoke shared access and expire downloadable assets at campaign end.

Common questions

Can a participant approve through a text message?

Possibly, but clarity and enforceability depend on context and law. A structured record showing the viewed output and the precise scope is safer. Ask a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction what your record needs to hold.

Must every edit return for approval?

Define acceptable technical edits in advance. New words, acts, products, sensitive contexts or materially different realism should return for review.

What if the model terms change?

Record the reviewed version and set a recheck date. Pause new uploads when a change could expand retention, training, review or licensing.

Does deleting the output delete the inputs?

Not necessarily. Follow the service's separate input, output, account, retention and backup procedures.