AI-Generated Deepfakes Target Bondi Beach Attack Survivor
AI-generated deepfake images depicting a Bondi Beach attack survivor as a paid actor simulating his injuries proliferated on social media platforms. The images spread rapidly after he shared a selfie following the December attack, and remained visible on X and YouTube despite removal from Meta.
What happened
Arsen Ostrovsky, director of the Council of Australian-Israeli and Jewish Affairs in Sydney, shared a selfie showing him wounded on the ground with bleeding from the Bondi Beach attack in December. Within hours, AI-generated deepfake images were created from the original selfie, depicting him laughing while a makeup artist applied fake blood, at the hospital without bandages, and holding an Oscar award.
Reported impact
Ostrovsky stated he discovered the deepfake images while preparing for surgery. He reported that Meta responded quickly to remove the false content, but received no response from X or YouTube, and many images remained visible online.
Index analysis
The deepfakes falsely portrayed Ostrovsky as a paid actor staging his injuries. The Royal Commission examination will consider platform weaknesses in detecting and rapidly removing hateful content.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.