This member's bill amends the Crimes Act 1961 and the Harmful Digital Communications Act 2015 to expand the definition of an 'intimate visual recording' to explicitly include images or videos digitally created, synthesised, or altered to show a person's recognisable likeness in sexually explicit material without their consent. It aims to criminalise such conduct and enable victims to seek redress and removal. The bill is currently before Parliament, having passed its first reading on 20 May 2026.
The Deepfake Digital Harm and Exploitation Bill targets sexually explicit "deepfakes" — realistic images or videos created, synthesised or altered using software or artificial intelligence to depict a real, identifiable person in intimate situations without their consent. It widens the legal definition of an "intimate visual recording" so that synthetic or digitally manufactured images are treated the same as genuine photographs, meaning it becomes an offence to create, possess or share such non-consensual fake intimate material. Backers note women and girls are disproportionately targeted by this abuse. The bill is intended not to capture satire, art or legitimate AI uses — only material depicting real, identifiable people.
This is a member's bill from ACT MP Laura McClure, amending the Crimes Act 1961 and the Harmful Digital Communications Act 2015. Supporters argue existing law leaves victims unprotected because the harm — humiliation and exploitation — is just as real whether an image is genuine or fabricated, and that fast-improving technology makes such abuse cheap and easy. Critics raise concerns about drafting and scope: how to define and prove synthetic content, potential risks to free expression, and the practical difficulty of enforcing the law against anonymous or overseas offenders.
See the Parliament.nz ↗ site for the full bill.