Australia's eSafety Commissioner Orders Platforms to Act on Deepfake Dating Profiles

Australia's eSafety Commissioner has issued formal transparency notices to major dating platforms operating in Australia, including Tinder, Bumble, and Grindr, under powers granted by the Online Safety Act 2021. The notices require the platforms to report on the prevalence of AI-generated fake profiles, the effectiveness of their detection systems, and their policies for handling reported fake accounts.

The Commissioner's office said the notices were prompted by a significant increase in complaints about deepfake profiles and associated romance fraud, particularly among users aged 50 and above.

Australia's Online Safety Act 2021 gives the eSafety Commissioner broad powers to compel platforms to report on safety matters, issue basic online safety expectations, and levy substantial fines for non-compliance. The Act was strengthened in 2024 with provisions specifically addressing AI-generated harmful content.

The Commissioner has indicated that platforms found to have inadequate systems for detecting and removing fake profiles may face formal enforcement action under the Act's basic online safety expectations framework.

Under the notices, platforms are required to disclose: the number of fake or AI-generated profiles detected and removed in the past 12 months; the methods used to detect fake profiles, including any AI detection tools; response times to user reports of fake profiles; and what verification, if any, is required to create an account.

The Commissioner has separately called for mandatory identity verification on all dating and social platforms operating in Australia by mid-2027, a position that goes further than the current voluntary approach adopted by most platforms globally.

Platform responses to the notices are due within 60 days. The Commissioner's office has indicated that the responses will inform a public report on dating app safety in Australia, expected later in 2026. Platforms that fail to provide adequate responses or that are found to have insufficient systems may face mandatory safety standards applied under the Online Safety Act.

Consumer advocates have welcomed the action but note that regulatory timelines move slowly relative to the speed at which AI generation technology is improving.