Sydney man used AI to crack court data breach, then asked ChatGPT for legal help
Christopher Duff, 40, allegedly used AI to create scraper code. It bulk-downloaded 8,769 restricted court documents. He then asked ChatGPT for legal advice.
A Sydney man is accused of using AI to break into a NSW courts website and steal thousands of confidential documents. Christopher Duff allegedly created scraper code, which is software that downloads bulk data without permission.
Prosecutors say he downloaded 8,769 restricted documents. This happened between January and March 2025.
The documents came from the Department of Communities and Justice online registry. Christopher Duff then allegedly asked ChatGPT for legal advice.
This raises an unprecedented legal question. Can AI conversations be used as evidence in an Australian court?
Duff pleaded not guilty to four counts of accessing restricted data. The case is believed to be one of the first of its kind in Australia.
It involves extraordinary amounts of material. This material may require months to present in court.
- 8,769
- Documents accessed
- January to March 2025
- Date range
- 4 counts of accessing restricted data
- Charges
- 10,000 or more pages
- Exhibit material
Why it mattersThe case sets a precedent for using AI conversations as evidence. It shows how easily automated tools can defeat secure government databases.
AustraliaAustralian courts and government agencies now face questions about data security and whether AI systems should be admissible in prosecutions.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 1 d ago
