Ask Onix
Teen admits to creating deepfake porn in first national case
A 19-year-old Australian man has become the first person prosecuted under new federal laws targeting the creation and distribution of manipulated sexual imagery, marking a pivotal moment in combating digital abuse.
Case details
William Hamish Yeates entered guilty pleas on Wednesday to four charges, including producing and altering sexual material without consent and using a telecommunications service to harass. He did not speak to reporters as he left court.
The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (CDPP) dropped 16 of the original 20 charges after Yeates admitted guilt. The case centered on images of an alleged victim shared across multiple X (formerly Twitter) accounts without her permission.
Legal and social context
The prosecution is the first under Australia's recently enacted laws, which impose a maximum seven-year prison sentence for such offenses. While some states have their own regulations on deepfake material, this case sets a national precedent.
Experts describe deepfake pornography-predominantly created using artificial intelligence-as an emerging form of gendered abuse and cyberbullying, with women and girls disproportionately targeted.
Rising threat of AI-manipulated content
Australia's eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, has warned of a sharp increase in explicit deepfakes, citing a 550% annual rise since 2019. In testimony to parliament last year, she noted that 98% of deepfake content online consists of pornographic videos, with 99% of those depicting women and girls.
The regulator has actively campaigned to ban apps that "nudify" individuals, reflecting broader concerns about the spread of non-consensual imagery.
Next steps
Yeates is scheduled to return to court for sentencing in April. The case underscores growing efforts to address digital exploitation as technology evolves.
"There is compelling and concerning data that explicit deepfakes have surged on the internet," Inman Grant said in 2024.
eSafety Commissioner
Support resources
Individuals affected by image-based abuse can access support through the BBC Action Line.
