On Saturday, the Australian Attorney General announced that the government would introduce new legislation to criminalize the creation and dissemination of deepfake pornography without the consent of those being depicted.
Attorney General of Australia, Mark Dreyfus, announced via his social media account on X that the government plans to present legislation concerning the restriction of deepfake pornography to Parliament, with the anticipated introduction of these laws scheduled to take place this upcoming Wednesday.
According to The Guardian, Dreyfus unveiled that sharing sexually explicit deepfake material without consent could lead to up to six years in prison under the proposed law, with the creators of such material facing an aggravated penalty of an additional year for a total of seven years. It’s worth noting that these laws will specifically target adults. Australia already has strict prohibitions against child pornography, carrying a maximum sentence of 15 years for those involved in its creation, possession, or sale.
“The Government’s reforms will clarify that individuals sharing sexually explicit material without consent, utilizing technologies such as artificial intelligence, will face severe criminal penalties,” wrote Dreyfus through his social media account on X.
The Attorney General further commented, “We recognize the disproportionate impact of this kind of exploitation and abuse on women and girls, who are often the primary targets of such deeply offensive and harmful behavior. The consequences of being victimized in this way can result in profound and enduring harm for the victims. And it is this that we intend to put a stop to with this new law.”
Outlining the new law fulfills one of the pledges made during the May 1 meeting of Australia’s national cabinet on gender-based violence. At this gathering, the First Ministers deliberated on adopting a more robust approach to combatting violence against women and children. As per a press release, the ministers announced their intention to introduce a new measure aimed at addressing and mitigating violence against women, which includes enacting legislation to prohibit deepfake pornography.
Meanwhile, in April, the United Kingdom unveiled a new law that renders the creation of sexually explicit deepfake images without consent a criminal offense. Similarly, in the United States, both California and Texas have passed legislation criminalizing the use of deepfake technology to produce pornographic images and videos as well as the distribution of such materials.
