Lower House Approves New Bill to Combat Sexual Deepfakes

July 4, 2024 TruthUSA

While the new bill will focus on addressing the sharing of non-consensual sexual deepfakes, it will not punish the creation of such content.

The lower house of the Australian parliament has passed a bill targeting the dissemination of deepfake sexual material without consent.

This legislation is prompted by an increase in sexually explicit content generated through artificial intelligence (AI) or other technologies on the internet.

Instances where images of individuals have been used to create graphic AI deepfakes have raised concerns among lawmakers and the public.

The Criminal Code Amendment (Deepfake Sexual Material) Bill 2024 passed the House of Representatives on July 3 after its introduction a month prior.

This marks another step in lawmakers’ efforts to curb the spread of harmful materials.

While the new bill will combat the sharing of non-consensual sexual deepfakes, it will not penalize the creation of such content.

Those who share such materials without consent may face up to six years in prison, while those involved in both creation and sharing could potentially receive a maximum sentence of seven years.

The bill must pass through the Senate before it becomes law.

Response from Politicians

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus emphasized that the distribution of sexual deepfakes represents a severe form of abuse primarily impacting women.

“This deplorable behavior degrades, humiliates, and dehumanizes victims,” he stated in Parliament.

“The bill aims to hold offenders accountable for the harm caused by the non-consensual sharing of deepfakes and to ensure that Australia’s criminal laws keep pace with evolving technology.”

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek highlighted the exacerbation of gender stereotypes by sexual deepfakes and stressed the government’s responsibility to address the challenges posed by new technologies.

“The significant increase in AI usage is as transformative as the introduction of the iPhone in 2007, but we are only now starting to raise awareness about the potential consequences,” she remarked.

“As a society, we have yet to fully comprehend the implications of these technological advancements. We are just beginning to grasp what the future may hold.”

Although the Opposition supports the intent of the new legislation, concerns have been raised about potential legal implications of the bill.

“I have reservations about the current bill regarding the alteration or removal of the definition of consent,” expressed Liberal MP Nola Marino.

“Currently, the law clearly defines consent as a voluntary and free agreement, but this definition has been omitted by the government.

“Given the significant focus on ensuring people’s safety and preparing for the AI-driven world, how will the courts interpret the consent standard if it is not explicitly outlined in the legislation?”

Australia is not alone in adapting laws to address the surge in sexual deepfakes.

In late June, several senators in the United States proposed a bill that would mandate websites to remove AI-generated pornographic images of real individuals.

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