An Australian man accused of murder has been ordered to send police hourly selfies after the state phased out ankle monitors, sparking debate over new bail monitoring methods.
In a move raising eyebrows across Australia, an accused murderer has been told to check in with police by sending a selfie every single hour of the day.
The order applies to Ayman Manly, of New South Wales (NSW), who is on bail while awaiting trial and has pleaded not guilty to murder.
Since January, he has been living under virtual house arrest with a $5 million surety.
Now, under new bail conditions, he must keep an iPhone on him at all times, ensure “Find My iPhone” tracking remains switched on, and submit a photo of himself every hour between 8am and 8pm.
The unusual condition isn’t random – it follows the sudden collapse of a private firm that handled the state’s ankle bracelet monitoring.
With the company gone, the NSW Government is winding down the use of the devices entirely, setting a deadline of September 12th for their removal.
Attorney-General Michael Daley says about two-thirds of affected defendants have already had their bail conditions reviewed, with the rest expected to face court before the cut-off.
In some cases, judges have tried replacing ankle monitors with alternative tracking methods, while others have sent defendants back to prison.
Critics, however, question whether selfies are a reliable substitute for GPS ankle monitoring.
They warn that the system depends entirely on the defendant’s willingness to comply and could be undermined by location spoofing or photo manipulation.
The requirement for the defendant to purchase the phone for police use has also sparked questions about how securely the device will be managed, whether metadata will be verified, and how authorities plan to enforce the rules.
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