Deepfakes of female high school students prompt probe

The sharing of sexual deepfake videos of female students at a high school in Sydney is being investigated by the police.

The NSW Department of Education has confirmed reports, first revealed by the ABC, that high school students in Eastwood, north-west Sydney, were sent disturbing images of their peers.

“The school is working closely with the police on this matter,” a spokesman told AAP.

“If any student is found to be engaging in this behaviour, the school will take serious disciplinary action.

“Deepfakes present significant new risks to students’ welfare and privacy.”

Police said officers in Sydney’s Ryde area launched an investigation.

In September, NSW passed laws expanding existing offenses relating to the production and distribution of intimate images without consent.

Premier Chris Minns said there was zero tolerance for gender-based abuse in the province, including the use of artificial intelligence to manipulate images.

“This law sends a clear message: Those who try to target women using this technology now face serious consequences,” he said.

Deepfakes refer to digitally altered images of a person’s face or body, and young women and girls are often targeted sexually.

Sharing of explicit deepfake images of underage Australians has doubled since 2023, according to data from the eSafety Commissioner in June.

Attorney General Michael Daley stated that in August, when the law was first implemented, almost all of the deepfake artificial intelligence images in circulation were pornographic and 98 percent of them belonged to women.

In NSW, those who commit deepfakes by stealing a person’s real identity could face up to three years in prison or a $11,000 fine.

Sharing or extorting such damaging content, known as revenge porn, by threatening to share it online even if the person did not create it, can also result in up to three years behind bars.