First explicit deepfake sentencing: ACT MP responds

Statement from ACT MP Laura McClure, sponsor of the Deepfake Digital Harm and Exploitation Bill.

Today I sat in court and listened as Summer Murphy read her victim impact statement.

It was hard to hear.

The anxiety, humiliation, fear, and lasting damage caused by explicit deepfakes is very real. As a parent, this is the sort of thing that keeps you up at night. No young woman should have to experience this.

Summer showed incredible courage speaking publicly about what happened to her. Her family should never have had to carry the burden of proving this harm is serious enough for the law to act.

This case sends a strong message, but it also exposes a huge gap in our laws. Right now, victims of AI-generated sexual abuse are forced to rely on legal loopholes and technicalities instead of clear protections designed for the digital age.

That’s why I’ve been fighting to make it an explicit crime in New Zealand to deepfake someone into pornography without their consent. Because this technology is advancing rapidly, and without action, more young people will become victims.

The harm is real, the trauma is real, and the law needs to catch up.

Today, submissions on my member's bill opened to the public. I really encourage victims of deepfake abuse to have their say and share their stories.