AI-Driven Sextortion Raises Alarm in PNG Following Tragic Death

Papua New Guinea is grappling with a growing cybercrime crisis following the tragic death of a young woman in East New Britain, a case that has drawn national attention to the dangers of online sextortion.

Authorities say the incident reflects a wider problem affecting thousands of young people across PNG, especially women, who are being targeted daily through social media platforms by criminals using artificial intelligence to create fake explicit images for blackmail.

AI-Driven Sextortion Raises Alarm in PNG Following Tragic Death

During a joint media briefing, officials from the National Information and Communications Technology Authority (NICTA) and the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC) acknowledged the difficulty in tracking offenders operating through fake online profiles.

NICTA Chief Executive Officer Polume Lume said identifying individuals behind these accounts remains a major challenge, largely because platforms like Facebook operate as external third-party systems beyond direct local control.

He revealed that efforts are underway to introduce regulations that would improve accountability and enable authorities to trace those responsible for fake accounts.

“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.

Mr Lume also confirmed that NICTA is developing a national policy on artificial intelligence aimed at managing the misuse of AI technologies, particularly in generating harmful or unsolicited images.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Hodges Ette said collaboration between NICTA and police, strengthened through an existing memorandum of understanding, will allow greater access to digital platforms for investigations.

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