Queensland introduces bill to criminalize creating sexual deepfakes

Queensland’s Attorney-General, Deb Frecklington, introduced a bill in the state parliament today that would criminalize creating sexually explicit deepfakes of a real person without consent. According to ABC News, Queensland law already covers distributing such material but not making it. That is the gap Frecklington is closing: “For too long, offenders have exploited a gap in the law to create harmful and exploitative content without facing the full consequences.”

The government’s press release, republished by Mirage News, says the new offense would cover images that are digitally altered or generated entirely by software, including AI-generated images and “nudify” apps. It would also reach simulated people who closely resemble an identifiable real person. New is the term “intimate audio material,” so the offense would reach audio as well as pictures. The definition of an intimate image would be updated to include “non-genuine” images, so a defendant cannot argue that the victim was shown in an impossible setting, that emojis cover part of the picture, or that a filter was applied.

The maximum penalty is three years in prison. ABC reports that for child offenders it is 18 months.

One caveat: this is a bill that has been introduced, not a law that has passed. I worked from the ABC report and the government’s press release, not from the bill text, so details may change in debate.

Other jurisdictions are moving the same way: see our reports on UK police guidance on nudify tools and on Germany and France, and our essay on the EU nudifier ban.