The UK government is preparing sweeping new measures that would force technology companies to remove deepfake nude images and so-called revenge porn within 48 hours of being notified. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has described the surge in online misogyny as a “national emergency”, warning that platforms could face heavy fines or even be blocked from operating in the country if they fail to comply.
Under proposed amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill, firms that ignore flagged content risk penalties of up to 10 per cent of their global qualifying revenue. In severe cases, services could be suspended in the UK altogether.
48-Hour Deadline Backed By Enforcement Powers
Government officials have indicated that the new enforcement authority will be handed to Ofcom by the summer. Once the rules are in force, companies will have a strict 48-hour window to take down nonconsensual intimate images after being alerted.
Victims will be able to report such material directly to platforms or to Ofcom, which will then trigger notifications across multiple services. The aim is to prevent survivors from having to repeatedly report the same image as it resurfaces online.
The regulator is also expected to examine technological solutions such as digital watermarking. This would allow abusive images to be automatically detected and flagged if reposted. Internet service providers may receive updated guidance to restrict hosting access for rogue websites dedicated to circulating explicit content without consent.
AI Tools And The Grok Controversy
The crackdown will also extend to AI-powered chatbots. Amendments are set to regulate systems such as X’s Grok, which earlier faced backlash for generating altered images of women in bikinis or explicit poses. Ministers had warned Elon Musk’s company of potential action if the tool was not addressed.
According to an analysis conducted for The Guardian, thousands of requests were being made every hour to create manipulated images through the chatbot. The episode intensified calls for tighter oversight of generative AI technologies capable of producing synthetic sexual content.
Starmer wrote: “The burden of tackling abuse must no longer fall on victims. It must fall on perpetrators and on the companies that enable harm.”
Online Misogyny Called A ‘National Emergency’
In his article, the prime minister argued that misogyny is deeply entrenched within institutions and often dismissed. “Too often, misogyny is excused, minimised or ignored. The arguments of women are dismissed as exaggerated or ‘one-offs’. That culture creates permission,” Starmer wrote.
He described the emotional toll on families, saying stories of women and girls discovering their intimate images online were “the type of story that, as a parent, makes your heart drop to your stomach”.
“Too often, those victims have been left to fight alone – chasing action site to site, reporting the same material again and again, only to see it reappear elsewhere hours later,” the prime minister said. “That is not justice. It is failure. And it is sending a message to the young people of this country that women and girls are a commodity to be used and shared.”
Legal Changes Under The Online Safety Framework
The creation or distribution of nonconsensual intimate imagery will be designated a “priority offence” under the Online Safety Act. This places it in the same enforcement bracket as terrorism or child abuse material. However, platforms will only be obligated to remove such content once it is flagged, not proactively detect it.
Experts have noted that while tools like hash matching are already used to combat child sexual abuse content, they are not foolproof. Alterations to images can bypass detection systems, and encrypted messaging platforms may pose additional enforcement challenges.
Anne Craanen, a researcher at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, said: “I think that 48 hours is certainly possible, to be honest with you.”
“The problem is, it may not necessarily incentivise a quicker response rate from companies. But 48 hours is longer than the timeframe for the removal of other types of content, such as terrorist content in the EU.”
With AI-generated manipulation becoming more sophisticated, policymakers are betting that stricter timelines and financial consequences will compel tech firms to act faster and more decisively against the spread of intimate abuse online.
