UK Tech Firms Must Remove Intimate Images in 48 Hours

Women across the UK just gained powerful new legal protections against one of the internet's most damaging abuses.

A new amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill now requires technology companies to remove non-consensual intimate images within 48 hours of being reported. Companies that fail to comply face substantial fines or could be blocked from operating in the UK entirely.

The law tackles a problem that's caused immeasurable harm to victims who previously had to chase platform after platform, often waiting days or weeks for abusive content to come down. Under the new rules, victims report an image just once and it gets removed everywhere.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer framed the legislation as the frontline of protecting women and girls in the digital age. "As director of public prosecutions, I saw first-hand the unimaginable, often lifelong pain and trauma violence against women and girls causes," he said.

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall was even more direct: "The days of tech firms having a free pass are over. No woman should have to chase platform after platform, waiting days for an image to come down."

The government is also working with communications regulator Ofcom to classify non-consensual intimate images similarly to child sexual abuse and terrorism content. This would mean images get digitally marked and automatically blocked if anyone tries to repost them.

The new protections extend beyond just takedowns. The government plans to publish guidance for internet providers on blocking access to websites that host such content, targeting sites that fall outside existing regulations.

Recent additions to the law close loopholes that allowed chatbots to create deepfake nude images. This came after widespread abuse of AI tools like Elon Musk's Grok chatbot, which was used to generate fake nude images of women.

The Ripple Effect

This law represents more than just faster takedowns. It shifts responsibility from victims to platforms, ending the exhausting cycle of reporting the same image over and over across different sites.

The automatic blocking technology means perpetrators can't simply reupload images after they're removed. Digital fingerprinting will recognize and stop abusive content before it causes more harm.

Other countries struggling with similar problems now have a working model to follow, potentially creating a ripple effect of stronger protections worldwide.

Women and girls will be able to participate online with greater confidence, knowing real consequences await anyone who tries to weaponize intimate images against them.