Tasmania to crack down on revenge porn, deepfakes and digital tracking
The article reports that the Tasmanian Government will introduce new legislation to combat image-based abuse, including revenge porn, AI-generated deepfakes, and covert digital tracking. The reforms aim to modernize the state’s laws in response to the growing misuse of technology in family violence and online abuse cases.
Announcing the reforms, Minister for Women and Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence Jo Palmer said the legislation will make it a criminal offence not only to share intimate images without consent but also to threaten to share them. She emphasized that intimate images should never be used as a means of coercion, intimidation, or control, describing such conduct as a serious form of abuse.
The reforms were strongly influenced by the experience of Stephanie Nolan, a survivor of image-based abuse who spent more than a year advocating for stronger protections. Nolan said that when she initially reported the abuse, police told her Tasmania’s existing laws were outdated and provided limited options for criminal charges. Although multiple intimate images and videos had been distributed, only a single publishing-related charge was eventually filed, while another emotional abuse charge was later withdrawn.
In addition to criminalizing non-consensual intimate image sharing and AI-generated sexual deepfakes, the proposed legislation will also address covert digital tracking and electronic surveillance used by perpetrators to monitor, intimidate, or harass victims. The government says the reforms recognize that technology-enabled abuse extends beyond images and includes digital tools used to facilitate coercive control.
The government explained that the initiative follows a public consultation on strengthening responses to family violence, during which 69 submissions specifically highlighted the need to address emerging forms of technology-enabled abuse. Draft legislation is currently being prepared and is expected to be released for public consultation before the end of the year.
The article concludes that Tasmania is seeking to bring its legal framework in line with technological developments and the approaches adopted elsewhere in Australia. By explicitly covering AI-generated deepfakes, revenge porn, threats to distribute intimate images, and digital surveillance, the proposed laws aim to provide stronger protection for victims while ensuring offenders can be held criminally accountable.
