Tech firms will be required to remove non-consensual intimate images from platforms within 48 hours of complaints – or face huge fines, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has said
Technology firms will be required to remove non-consensual intimate images from platforms they control within 48 hours of a complaint under new legislation announced by ministers.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has today set out plans to amend the Crime and Policing Bill to protect victims of image abuse. It says companies that fail to act within the two-day timeframe after a complaint is flagged could “face fines of up to 10% of their qualifying worldwide revenue” or have their services blocked in the UK.
DSIT said the government is also “determined” to simplify the process for victims making a complaint so that they only need to report an image once. The department said this would mean a single report triggers the removal of images across multiple platforms, and that those images would be “automatically deleted” at every new upload.
DSIT added that watchdog Ofcom is currently considering plans for non-consensual intimate images to be treated with the same severity as child sexual abuse and terrorism content. That would see such images being digitally marked so that any time someone tries to repost them, they will be automatically taken down.
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Prime minister Keir Starmer said that during his time as director of public prosecutions he had seen first-hand “the unimaginable, often lifelong pain and trauma violence against women and girls causes”.
He described the online world as the “frontline” of the 21st century battle to combat violence against women and girls.
“That’s why my government is taking urgent action: against chatbots and ‘nudification’ tools,” Starmer said. “Today we are going further, putting companies on notice so that any non-consensual image is taken down in under 48 hours.
“Violence against women and girls has no place in our society, and I will not rest until it is rooted out.”
Technology secretary Liz Kendall said the proposed change to the Crime and Policing Bill would introduce a new imperative on technology firms to act in the face of complaints.
“The days of tech firms having a free pass are over,” she said. “Because of the action we are taking platforms must now find and remove intimate images shared without consent within a maximum of 48 hours.
“No woman should have to chase platform after platform, waiting days for an image to come down. Under this government, you report once and you’re protected everywhere. The internet must be a space where women and girls feel safe, respected, and able to thrive.”
The Crime and Policing Bill had its first reading in the House of Commons in February last year. It is due to enter the report stage in the House of Lords next week.
Last month, the government called out non-consensual intimate images being shared on Grok, which led to the function being removed.
Ministers are also legislating to make “nudification” tools illegal and bringing chatbots like Grok within scope of the Online Safety Act.
