UK's Labour Government to Criminalize Sexually Explicit Deepfakes, Aiming to Protect Women and Girls

Jan 7, 2025, 10:07 AM

The UK's Labour Government, led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, has announced plans to criminalize the creation and sharing of sexually explicit deepfake images, marking a significant crackdown on online abuse. The new measures, part of the government's Crime and Policing Bill, will make it an offense to create or share such images without consent, with perpetrators facing up to two years in prison. The initiative aims to protect women and girls, who are often the primary targets of this form of abuse, with Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones noting that one in three women have been victims of online abuse. The government also plans to introduce new offenses for taking intimate images without consent and installing equipment to enable such acts. Technology Minister Baroness Jones emphasized the need for tech companies to act, warning of tougher scrutiny and significant penalties for platforms hosting such content. These measures are part of a broader effort to combat violence against women and girls, with the government promising to halve such violence within a decade.