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\nThe bill will widen what a ‘recording’ is.
\nPhoto: 123RF\n<\/p>\n
ACT MP Laura McClure’s bill to criminalise sexually explicit ‘deepfake’ images has been drawn from the biscuit bin.<\/p>\n
The Deepfake Digital Harm and Exploitation Bill would amend existing laws to expand the the definition of an ‘intimate visual recording’.<\/p>\n
It would widen what a ‘recording’ is include images or videos that are created, synthesised, or altered to depict a person’s likeness in intimate contexts without their consent.<\/p>\n
“Since I lodged my bill, I’ve heard from victims who’ve had their lives derailed by deepfake abuse,” McClure said.<\/p>\n
“Netsafe say they receive complaints daily from people whose images have been weaponised to create sexually explicit deepfake abuse. Principals have told me it’s a rising problem at New Zealand’s schools.”<\/p>\n
McClure said Parliament now had an opportunity to empower victims of deepfake abuse with a clear pathway toward the removal of the images and the prosecution of their abusers.<\/p>\n
“My Bill does not seek to ban a whole subset of technology or create a new regulatory regime. It is a simple tweak to existing laws to address a specific, well-defined and understood problem.<\/p>\n
“The technology is advancing, and its use is expanding. We need to act now before the abuse of this technology is normalised.”<\/p>\n
The bill will be read a first time at a later date.<\/p>\n