Australia's online-safety watchdog flags regulatory gaps in AI

By Sean Maguire ( October 20, 2026, 05:01 GMT | Insight) -- Australia’s online-safety watchdog said regulatory gaps limit its ability to remove harmful nonsexual AI deepfakes unless they meet the high threshold for serious adult cyber abuse. The proposed digital duty-of-care legislation would require online services to assess and mitigate foreseeable harms, but would leave some defamatory content outside its scope. The watchdog on Monday backed provisions allowing fictitious accounts to test AI safeguards against generating illegal material, amid concerns about censorship.Australia’s online-safety watchdog said gaps in regulation limit its ability to remove harmful artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes, including content that damages people’s reputations....

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