NICTA and police to address AI driven exploitation

The tragic suicide of a young woman in East New Britain has cast a harsh spotlight on the growing menace of online sextortion in PNG, where criminals exploit AI generated nude images to blackmail vulnerable victims.

With thousands of young people, particularly women harassed daily on social media, the case underlines the urgent need for stronger safeguards, clear reporting pathways, and tighter cooperation between regulators, law enforcement, and global tech platforms.

At a joint press conference, the National Information and Communications Technology Authority [NICTA] and the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary [RPNGC] admitted that fake accounts remain difficult to trace because Facebook operates as a third-party platform in the country.

According to NICTA CEO Polume Lume and the Head of the Police Crimes Division, tracking individuals behind these accounts is one of the biggest challenges facing the Cybercrime Division.

Lume explained that while current arrangements make it difficult to identify suspects, NICTA is moving toward regulating Facebook in PNG to enable stronger accountability.

“We want to create a proper regulatory framework that allows identification and tracking of fake accounts. As it is now, we don’t have that set up yet, but we are working towards it,” he said.

Beyond social media regulation, NICTA is also drafting an AI policy to manage the use of artificial intelligence, particularly in generating malicious images.

“Once the policy on AI is done, we will work towards regulation to see how best we can manage AI. There are disadvantages and advantages, so we will be considerate and draft the policy in a way that controls the generation of unsolicited images,” Lume added.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Hodges Ette emphasized that the existing MoU between NICTA and RPNGC now paves the way for police to intervene in cyberspace.

“Collaboration between internet service providers and NICTA allows us to access those platforms through our partnership,” he said.

He said, though reports on AI sextortion have been reported to police, it is quite difficult to find the culprits behind the fake accounts.

Through its partnership with NICTA, police will be able to monitor cyberspace more effectively, tracking fake accounts and identifying individuals responsible for generating and circulating unsolicited images on social media platforms.

Meanwhile, the suicide case in East New Britain highlights the urgent need for stronger safeguards and cooperation between regulators, law enforcement, and social media platforms to protect young people from cyber-harassment and bullying.