Victorian teachers also victims of fake explicit images created by students using AI
In the news
Television
AuthorsABC News, featuring Assoc/Prof Asher Flynn, CEVAW Chief Investigator
New laws not tough enough, says expert
Asher Flynn, an associate professor of criminology at Monash University, said deepfake pornographic images normalise the sexualisation of women and children without consent and more needed to be done.
“I think it sends a really negative message around women’s worth and particularly young girls’ worth,” she said.
“It essentially means that they are just there for the pleasure and sexual gratification of other men.”
She said the government’s proposal to introduce laws that would make sharing non-consensual deepfake pornography a criminal offence did not go far enough.
“I do feel like the laws could have gone further to also think about how we can place more onus on the people who are creating these types of tools for people to use, for example expanding the powers of the e-Safety commissioner and expanding the recourses available to [them],” she said.
“What we do need to see is much more recognition and onus on tech providers, the tech developers and also the social media platforms and websites.”
These new laws only cover images created of people over the age of 18. Child exploitation material, like in the case of Bacchus Marsh, is dealt with separately.
Ms Martin agreed that more needed to be done but acknowledged it would be difficult given the nature of AI.
“This is a global issue and there is only so much that Australia can do because they are dealing with perpetrators who can reside halfway around the world,” she said.
“The question is how effective will these laws be for Australians?”
She said it would ultimately come down to how law enforcement police the issue and how seriously it is taken in the courts.
New laws on non-consensual distribution and creation of sexualised deepfakes
In the news
Television
AuthorsThe Project, featuring Assoc/Prof Asher Flynn, CEVAW Chief Investigator
The Australian government has just announced that it will introduce federal laws to criminalise the non-consensual distribution and creation of sexualised deep fake imagery of adults, which according to CEVAW Chief Investigator, Assoc/Prof Asher Flynn, will address a major legal gap in Australia, where the creation of a sexualised deepfake image is currently only illegal in the State of Victoria.Assoc/Prof Flynn spoke to The Project on the impact of these new laws.