Two Australian men are among 25 people arrested worldwide in a sweeping crackdown on the alleged production and distribution of AI-generated child abuse material.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) charged the men this week as part of Operation Cumberland, a global initiative led by Danish Police in collaboration with Europol and law enforcement agencies from 19 countries.
A 31-year-old Queensland man was charged on 25 February 2025 and granted police bail to appear in court on 19 March. The following day, a 38-year-old New South Wales man faced Downing Centre Local Court after being charged. He was granted bail and will reappear in court at a later date. Authorities do not believe the two men know each other.
The investigation began in Denmark when local police arrested a Danish national for allegedly producing AI-generated child abuse material and selling it through an online subscription service. Danish law enforcement identified 273 subscribers across 19 countries and alerted relevant authorities, including the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE).
In response, the ACCCE launched an investigation into allegations that two Australian men had subscribed to the illegal site. Working with AFP officers in New South Wales and Queensland, they gathered evidence, leading to search warrants executed at the men’s homes in Cairns and Toukley.
Police allegedly found child abuse material on mobile phones and other electronic devices, which will undergo further forensic examination.
AFP Detective Acting Superintendent Kurt Wesche emphasised the importance of global cooperation in tackling child exploitation.
“The exploitation and abuse of children is not restricted by borders, so no one country can combat this threat alone.”
Det a/Supt Wesche warned that AI technology is making it harder for police to distinguish between real and AI-generated images, which could divert resources from identifying and rescuing real victims.
“Although the children depicted in this material are not real, these criminal networks are still involved in the sexual exploitation of children,” he said.
“In Australia, it is a criminal offence to create, possess or share content that depicts the abuse of someone aged under 18; it is child abuse material irrespective of whether it is ‘real’ or not.”
The Cairns man faces four counts of possessing child abuse material accessed or obtained using a carriage service, while the Toukley man has been charged with one count of possession and one count of using a carriage service to access such material. Each offence carries a maximum penalty of 15 years’ imprisonment.
Operation Cumberland remains ongoing, with authorities expecting further arrests.
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