Bundaberg Mayor Helen Blackburn has filed complaints with Queensland Police, the Australian Federal Police, and the federal eSafety commissioner over an anonymous Facebook page that has circulated AI-generated, South Park-inspired parody videos featuring a fictional version of her. Queensland Police has confirmed it is investigating.
Queensland mayor files police complaints over anonymous AI parody Facebook page
Bundaberg Mayor Helen Blackburn has filed complaints with Queensland Police, the Australian Federal Police, and the federal eSafety commissioner over an anonymous Facebook page that has circulated AI-generated, South Park-inspired parody videos featuring a fictional version of her. Queensland Police has confirmed it is investigating.
The Facebook page was created a few months ago and has shared multiple AI-generated videos, all featuring a fictional version of Cr Blackburn. The mayor contacted the page's creators and asked them to remove the videos from all platforms.
The mayor said her complaints came a week after she spoke publicly about receiving online abuse, including comments wishing her death from a heart attack and a message stating 'they just needed two bullets' to deal with her.
On Tuesday, the parody page shared an update that included screenshots of the mayor's mobile phone number, stating that the mayor had threatened to escalate the matter to the Australian Federal Police unless the page was permanently deleted. The mayor subsequently disconnected the phone number. The post attracted hundreds of comments within hours, with many defending the creators' right to satire and free speech.
Both Queensland and Commonwealth law provide protections against harassment and the publishing of offensive material on social media. The Australian government's independent online safety regulator, eSafety, has established an Adult Cyber Abuse Scheme to address the most serious forms of online abuse.
The ABC contacted the page's creator through the Facebook page but could not attribute comments to any one individual because the creators retained anonymity.
- The source does not state when exactly the Facebook page was created, beyond describing it as 'a few months ago.'
- The source does not state the total number of videos the page has posted.
- The source does not state whether the Australian Federal Police or eSafety commissioner have confirmed they are acting on the mayor's complaints.
- The source does not state the specific legal basis on which any potential charges or enforcement action might proceed.
- The source does not state the number of followers or overall reach of the parody Facebook page.
- The source does not state whether the creators have responded to the mayor's request to remove the videos from all platforms.
Read the original at ABC News Australia