A man from Toukley is one of two Australian men in a group of 25 people arrested as part of a global operation across 19 countries targeting the alleged production and distribution of child abuse material generated by artificial intelligence (AI).
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) charged the Australians last week as part of a global resolution for Operation Cumberland, which was led by Danish Police and involved Europol and law enforcement agencies from 19 countries.
The Toukley man, aged 38, was charged on February 26 and faced Downing Centre Local Court the following day when he was granted bail to reappear in court at a later date.
He is facing charges of one count of possessing child abuse material accessed or obtained using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22A of the Criminal Code (Cth); and one count of using a carriage service to access child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22 of the Criminal Code (Cth).
The other Australian, a 31-year-old man from Cairns in Queensland, was charged on February 25 and then granted police bail to appear in court on March 19.
He was charged on four counts of possessing child abuse material accessed or obtained using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22A of the Criminal Code (Cth).
Maximum penalty for each of these offences is 15 years’ imprisonment.
The two men are not believed to know each other.
The extensive investigation began in Denmark, Europe, when local police arrested a Danish national for allegedly producing AI-generated child abuse material and selling it online to users through a subscription service.
Danish law enforcement allegedly identified 273 subscribers in 19 countries and alerted the relevant authorities, including the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE).
The ACCCE started an investigation into allegations two Australian men had subscribed to the illegal site and worked with AFP officers in NSW and QLD to gather evidence about any illegal activity.
As a result of those inquiries the AFP executed search warrants last week at the men’s homes in Cairns and Toukley.
At each man’s home the AFP allegedly found child abuse material on mobile phones and other electronic devices.
The devices will be subject to further forensic examination.
AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Kurt Wesche said the investigation highlighted the importance of law enforcement working together across the world to combat this crime type.
“The exploitation and abuse of children is not restricted by borders, so no one country can combat this threat alone,” Wesche said.
“AI technology is increasingly accessible and the ACCCE has witnessed an increase in AI-generated child abuse material in the past year.
“It is getting harder for police to discern if an image shows a real child, and we are concerned AI-generated material diverts our investigative resources from finding real children who are being abused and at harm.
“Although the children depicted in this material are not real, these criminal networks are still involved in the sexual exploitation of children.
“In Australia, it is a criminal offence to create, possess or share content that depicts the abuse of someone aged under 18; it is child abuse material irrespective of whether it is ‘real’ or not.”
Investigations under Operation Cumberland remain ongoing and further arrests are expected.
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