We urgently need regulations to stop image and video theft.

Our children’s, and our own, photos and videos can be copied and reused to sell products and pornography anywhere in the world. Right now there is little you can do because we lack effective regulations to protect our images from theft on the internet and social media.

People effectively have no ownership or control over their images. Safeguards must be implemented and enforced immediately. We are well past the point where critical action is required.

All media companies and image sharing platforms should be required, at a minimum, to:

Display clear warnings indicating whether an image shows a real person or is AI-generated.
Provide controls that block downloads and screenshots.
Provide clear consent to share controls on social media platforms.
Apply watermarks to deter the reuse of images and videos for nefarious purposes.
Update passing off and copyright protections for individuals.

These protections are technically feasible now.

Beyond the obvious and abhorrent human rights violations already occurring, the lack of protection will also harm the Australian economy.

The creative arts and media industry is particularly vulnerable to being replaced by generative AI. Australia’s community of performing and creative artists contributes in many ways, generating billions of dollars in revenue and taxes for the national economy.

Computers have no ethics. They have no human reservations about breaching your privacy to obtain the information they need to process a request.

As the United Nations has warned about AI and its implications:

“There is absolutely no time to waste. The world waited too long on climate change. We cannot afford to repeat that same mistake. What could regulation look like? We need to resist the temptation to let the AI industry itself assert that self regulation is sufficient, or to claim that it should be for them to define the applicable legal framework. I think we have learnt our lesson from social media platforms in that regard. Whilst their input is important, it is essential that the full democratic process, with laws shaped by all stakeholders, is brought to bear on an issue in which all people, everywhere, will be affected far into the future. AI technologies that cannot be operated in compliance with international human rights law must be banned or suspended until adequate safeguards are in place.”

Sign this petition to demand immediate regulation that protects every Australian’s image, identity and privacy.