By Darren Kane
Publication Date: 2026-02-27 22:45:00
Is that right? Or is it a digital lynching? Let’s address the legal landscape here because it is hugely important and is almost completely ignored in the breathless social media comments attempting to convict and convict a young man before a forensic expert has examined any of it.
The purpose of defamation law in Australia is clear; to protect individuals from publishing false material that damages or jeopardizes their otherwise good reputation.
A publication is defamatory if it would cause normal, reasonable members of society to think less of the person. There is no need for malice. No intent to harm is required, although most jurisdictions require the existence of such a requirement serious Damage.
But slander is the most boring tool of all. And the whole thing about deepfakes is that the creator is invariably unknown.
If the origins of these photos are questionable or they were created using AI, consider what they still communicate…
