Bar Association Urges Deepfake Sex Crime Law Review
SingTao · 1 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago5 MIN
Summary
Hong Kong’s consultation on improving sexual offences law has come under scrutiny because it does not expressly cover the standalone creation of unpublished deepfake sexual images, despite rising concern over technology-enabled sexual abuse . Bar Association vice-chairman and senior counsel 許紹鼎 said the law needs to evolve with technological change and suggested the government may need to consider how sexual offences reform interacts with computer and AI-related offending . He added that if lawmakers intend new provisions to apply to online conduct, the scope and practical application should be clearly explained and fully discussed with society . At the same time, he described the broader sexual offences review as a significant advance on long-unresolved issues in Hong Kong .
Key Points
- The consultation paper on completing Hong Kong’s sexual offences law reform does not touch on a loophole involving making deepfake sexual images without publishing them .
- 許紹鼎 said the consultation follows recommendations from the Law Reform Commission subcommittee set up in 2006, before deepfake risks were likely specifically examined .
- He said legal reform must keep pace with technology and should assess whether conduct using computers or artificial intelligence ought to attract criminal liability .
- He suggested the government could consider how sexual offences reform and computer crime law might work together when addressing AI-generated abuse and online misconduct .
- Referring to Security Secretary 鄧炳強’s Legislative Council remarks, he noted online crime is not beyond criminal responsibility, but any online application of new offences must be clearly defined .
Why It Matters
The issue highlights how fast-moving AI tools can expose gaps in older legal frameworks, especially where harmful sexualized content may be created without physical contact or immediate publication . It also underscores the challenge for Hong Kong lawmakers of modernizing criminal law while maintaining due process, legal certainty, and fair trials in technology-related cases .