The Senate has passed a government Bill targeting the creation and distribution of non-consensual deepfake pornography, clearing the way for tough new criminal penalties for offenders.
A deepfake is digitally created content that can alter an image of someone to make it look like they are doing something that never happened.
The Bill, which received bipartisan support in a committee review, could result in people convicted of creating the material to be jailed for up to seven years.
“Digitally created and altered sexually explicit material that is shared without consent is a damaging and deeply distressing form of abuse,” Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said in a statement on Wednesday.
“This insidious behaviour can be a method of degrading, humiliating and dehumanising victims.
“Such acts are overwhelmingly targeted towards women and girls, perpetuating harmful gender stereotypes and contributing to gender-based violence.”
More to come.