source : the age
A software developer accused of creating “deepfake” nude or sexualised images of schoolgirls told police “every woman should be afraid” of the technology, a jury has heard.
Antonio Rotondo faced Brisbane District Court on Tuesday for the start of his trial after pleading not guilty to 17 charges, including stalking and distributing intimate images.
The 56-year-old also pleaded not guilty to distributing child exploitation material allegedly involving an image of a 13-year-old girl modified to be sexually “degrading”.
When questioned by police, Rotondo allegedly said the spread of deepfakes was unstoppable, despite Australia’s new laws.
“Every woman on Earth should live in fear of a camera, should live in fear of Facebook,” he said.
“There will be nude images of everyone on the internet.”
Rotondo allegedly collected public images of female staff and students from a prestigious Queensland school, as well as models who had taken part in a fashion show, crown prosecutor Ben Jackson told the jury.
He then allegedly modified the images to include nudity or sexualised elements using an artificial intelligence deepfake program.
“Their clothing was partially removed, or they were put into revealing lingerie, leaving little to the imagination,” Jackson said.
Rotondo allegedly emailed the images to the administrators of multiple schools and a fashion event on September 10, 2023.
A senior school staff member was “very distressed” by the email as she was depicted in two of the images, the jury heard.
“I would expect each [alleged victim] will say they were horrified and particularly concerned about their online safety and their reputation,” Jackson said.
Rotondo had a previous career in software development, but his alleged deepfake technique did not require specialist knowledge, the jury heard.
“It’s fun to just press a button and remove their clothes. It’s like X-ray vision glasses,” Rotondo allegedly told police.
When asked why he emailed the images, Rotondo allegedly said it was for “fun” and he was “that type of person”.
“I’m at the stage of my life where I really don’t care,” he told police, according to Jackson.
Rotondo did not know the woman and girls in the alleged images, Jackson said.
Most of the alleged victims have not seen the images.
The prosecution was not claiming Rotondo sent the images for his own sexual gratification, and that element was not necessary to prove the offences, the jury heard.
Rotondo also hosted the images he created on a public website, except for the alleged sexualised picture of the 13-year-old.
He denied to police that he knew the girl was underage when he made the image, the jury heard.
“It’s impossible to know,” Rotondo told police. “There are no ages of people on the internet.”
The trial continues before Judge John Allen.
AAP
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