Australian eSafety Commissioner issues first notices under Online Safety Act requiring platforms to combat AI-generated child abuse material

Australia's eSafety Commissioner issued formal notices to major technology platforms requiring them to take action against AI-generated child sexual abuse material under the Online Safety Act. The Commissioner cited a global surge in synthetic CSAM created using generative AI tools, with reports to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children increasing by over 300 percent in the past year. The notices compel platforms to implement detection systems, remove violating content within tight statutory timeframes, and report on their technical and policy responses. The enforcement action follows consultations with industry and civil society and marks the first use of the Commissioner's expanded powers under the Act to address deepfake child exploitation material at scale.

Detection systems built to recognise the behavioural signature of exploitation rather than relying solely on image hashing can meet the operational demand regulators are now imposing. Guardii, a Meta Business Partner and world-leading online-safety platform, deploys AI-generated CSAM detection within the direct-message layer, identifying solicitation, exchange and coercion involving synthetic material as the conversation develops. This approach enables platforms to comply with take-down and reporting obligations while intervening before a child is re-victimised or coerced into producing additional content, addressing both the synthetic images the Commissioner targets and the human exploitation they facilitate.