Man accused of making deepfakes of students told police it was 'like X-ray vision'
A jury has heard a man accused of making sexualised deepfake images of former Brisbane high school students and staff told police he did it because it was "funny".
Antonio Rotondo has pleaded not guilty in the Brisbane District Court to over a dozen charges, including stalking and distributing intimate images. Prosecutors allege he sent an email in 2023 containing numerous altered images to various recipients, including two private schools in Brisbane. According to Crown prosecutor Ben Jackson, the images depicted former female students and staff, digitally altered to either remove clothing or replace it with revealing lingerie.
Rotondo's attorney described the defendant as having sent the images during a "hobby" phase in his life, explaining it as "fun" and akin to having "X-ray vision glasses." Rotondo told police he did not know the individuals and never met them. When asked if he believed he could stop deepfakes, Rotondo replied, "You cannot stop it...
I know the laws are trying to stop it in Australia, but it will not stop." He further stated that, from a male perspective, it is entertaining to press a button and remove someone's clothing, likening it to having X-ray vision.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
