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Hong Kong officials are considering broadening the city’s sexual crime legislation to include AI-created “deepfake” pornography, according to security chief Chris Tang.

In an interview with selected media on Monday, Tang mentioned that the Security Bureau plans to initiate a public consultation next year, with the goal of enacting legislative changes by the end of the current administration’s term in June 2027.

Tang’s comments follow approximately two months after a law student at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) wascharged with producing explicit imagesapproximately 20 to 30 women, such as his classmates and instructors, without their permission.

A student is accused of utilizing free online artificial intelligence (AI) platforms to create deepfake pornography images using photographs from women’s social media profiles.

Tang stated on Monday that the Law Reform Commission, which provides suggestions for legal amendments, will examine if the use of AI to create explicit images should be covered under the Crimes Ordinance,according to local media.

The regulation covers violations like “the release or threat of releasing private photographs without permission” and “accessing a computer with fraudulent intentions,” each potentially resulting in a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

Tang further stated that the changes would follow the principle that sexual crimes are not categorized according to gender or sexual preference.

Existing laws

When questioned about the matter in July, Chief Executive John Lee did not reference a proposed law concerning AI-created explicit images butstated that the majority of Hong Kong’s laws are applicable to online activities.

Lee also noted that the government’s Digital Policy Office released a set of guidelines for the use of generative AI in April, advocating for the “safe and responsible advancement” of the technology and its associated activities.

HKU faced public criticism for how it managed the deepfake image controversy. It sent a warning to the student but declined three anonymous victims’ requests for the case to be reviewed by the Disciplinary Committee. The university stated that the male student probably did not commit an act that the committee could handle.

Following the city’s data protection authoritylaunched a criminal probe, HKU said the matter would stay unresolved.