Australia yesterday said that it would oblige tech giants to prevent online tools being used to create artificial intelligence (AI)-generated nude images or stalk people without detection.
The government would work with industry on developing new legislation against the “abhorrent technologies,” it said in a statement, without providing a timeline.
“There is no place for apps and technologies that are used solely to abuse, humiliate and harm people, especially our children,” Australian Minister for Communications and Minister for Sport Anika Wells said.
Photo: EPA-EFE
“Nudify” apps — AI tools that digitally strip off clothing — have exploded online, sparking warnings that so-called sextortion scams targeting children are surging.
The government would use “every lever” to restrict access to “nudify” and stalking apps, placing the onus on tech companies to block them, Wells said.
“While this move won’t eliminate the problem of abusive technology in one fell swoop, alongside existing laws and our world-leading online safety reforms, it will make a real difference in protecting Australians,” she said.
The proliferation of AI tools has led to new forms of abuse impacting children, including pornography scandals at universities and schools worldwide, where teenagers create sexualized images of their classmates.
A Save the Children survey found that one in five young people in Spain have been victims of deepfake nudes, with those images shared online without their consent.
Any new legislation would aim to ensure that legitimate and consent-based AI and online tracking services are not inadvertently impacted, the government said.
Australia has been at the forefront of global efforts to curb Internet harm, especially that targeted at children.
The nation passed landmark laws in November last year restricting children younger than 16 from social media.
Social media giants — which face fines of up to A$49.5 million (US$32 million) if they fail to comply with the ban — have described the laws as “vague,” “problematic” and “rushed.”
It is unclear how people would verify their ages to sign up to social media.
The law comes into force by the end of this year.
An independent study ordered by the government found this week that age checking can be done “privately, efficiently and effectively.”
Age assurance is possible through a range of technologies, but “no single solution fits all contexts,” the study’s final report said.
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