Regulating Image-Based Abuse: An Examination of Australia’s Reporting and Removal Scheme

Image-based abuse (IBA) is a form of technology-facilitated abuse that involves the creation, sharing, or threatened sharing of intimate images without the consent of the person pictured. In Australia, the eSafety Commissioner (eSafety) oversees the IBA reporting and removal scheme (IBA scheme), with regulatory powers set out under the Online Safety Act 2021. eSafety is the first government agency to implement a dedicated scheme responsible for facilitating the removal of non-consensual intimate images posted online via the establishment of an IBA reporting portal and a civil penalties scheme. This research was conducted by eSafety staff who examined the operation of eSafety’s IBA scheme from 2018 to 2023. Under the operation of the IBA scheme, eSafety has been handling a growing volume of reports, which have increased by more than 960%, from 849 reports in 2018/19 to 9,060 reports in 2022/23. This has been led by an unanticipated increase in reports of sexual extortion, from 432 in 2018/19 to 6,187 in 2022/23. This paper examines what was being reported under the scheme, including who was reporting and changes in report numbers over time.