LONDON – In a landmark move to crack down on harmful online content and protect vulnerable groups, the UK government unveiled sweeping new measures Friday that would hold tech industry executives personally criminally liable for failing to remove non-consensually shared intimate imagery from their platforms. If the amendment to the pending Crime and Policing Bill passes, senior leaders at non-compliant tech firms could face prison sentences, individual fines, or both.
The proposal, put forward by the current Labour government which maintains a working majority in the House of Commons, marks a significant escalation of the UK’s push to strengthen online safety regulations. Government officials framed the new rules as a direct response to growing public outcry over image-based abuse, amplified by a high-profile controversy earlier this year.
Back in February, ministers first announced that the upcoming legislation would require digital platforms to remove non-consensual intimate content within a 48-hour window. That initial announcement followed a global backlash after Elon Musk’s X platform, which integrated the AI chatbot Grok, was found capable of generating sexually explicit deepfake imagery of real individuals. The incident highlighted gaps in existing regulation and spurred policymakers to introduce harsher penalties for non-compliance.
Under the updated framework laid out Friday, companies that fail to meet the 48-hour removal deadline already face severe penalties: fines of up to 10% of their annual global turnover, or a full block on operating within the UK. The new amendment goes a step further, attaching personal criminal consequences to senior leadership who allow harmful content to remain on their platforms.
“Too many women have had their lives shattered by having their intimate images shared online without consent,” Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said in an official government statement announcing the amendment.
In addition to the new rules for non-consensual intimate imagery, the government tabled additional amendments Friday that would codify two new criminal offenses: possession and publication of incestuous pornography, and content depicting adults posing as children. Anyone convicted of these offenses would face a maximum prison sentence of five years.
All the proposed changes are part of the government’s broader national strategy to cut violence against women and girls by half within a decade, and shield children from the pervasive threat of online sexual abuse. “We will stamp out misogynistic and harmful content online and create a safer world,” said Alex Davies-Jones, Minister for Victims and Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls.
The amendment is currently attached to the Crime and Policing Bill, which is progressing through parliamentary debate as of the government’s announcement.