Australia pushes more AI nudify services offline over child safety
The regulatory approach in Australia evolves as eSafety increases action against AI-enabled exploitation risks.
Three more AI-powered ‘nudify’ services have withdrawn access for Australian users after enforcement action by Australia’s eSafety Commissioner under the country’s Age-Restricted Material codes.
The codes require AI services that allow users to access or generate age-restricted material, including sexually explicit material, to put appropriate age-assurance measures in place to prevent access by children under 18.
The latest action followed a formal Direction to Comply issued to one of the most widely used nudify services in Australia, requiring the provider to implement stronger protections within 14 days. Instead, the company disabled access for Australian users, while two associated services also withdrew.
eSafety said users in Australia will no longer be able to log in or use the service’s features, although landing pages may remain visible with content blurred.
The regulator said AI nudification tools pose serious risks because they can be used to create non-consensual sexually explicit deepfakes and child sexual exploitation material. It has also warned that such tools are increasingly being misused in school settings.
The action is part of eSafety’s broader enforcement focus on generative AI and nudify services now that Australia’s online safety codes and standards are in force. The regulator said seven of the most frequently accessed nudify services in Australia have either withdrawn from the market or introduced age-assurance measures following intervention.
Australia is also preparing further legislation to prohibit nudify services used to generate non-consensual sexually explicit material.
Why does it matter?
Australia’s approach shows how regulators can use age-assurance and online safety rules to restrict children’s access to high-risk generative AI tools before new AI-specific laws are fully in place. The case is also important because nudify services sit at the intersection of AI-generated abuse, child protection, image-based harm and platform accountability. By forcing services to either introduce safeguards or withdraw access, eSafety is creating a practical enforcement model that other jurisdictions may closely watch.
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