The UK is gearing up to impose tougher regulations on tech companies, where if someone shares intimate images online without their consent and a report is made, these images have to be taken down within 48 hours. If these technology companies don't follow these regulations, they could be fined up to 10% of their global revenue, or their services could be blocked, as reported by NDTV.
This is a step in a larger direction to strengthen online protections, particularly for women and girls in Britain. The government is saying these changes will be incorporated into law through amendments to legislation currently in Parliament.
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Even though this is already illegal in Britain, victims have found it hard to get these images taken down from online sites.
Stronger safeguards in the digital age
Announcing the proposal, Prime Minister Keir Starmer was quoted as saying by NDTV, "The online world is the frontline of the 21st century battle against violence against women and girls."
The government has also pointed out that the ease with which private content is spreading, along with AI technology that helps in creating explicit content, has led to a need for better and quicker enforcement.
The proposed framework will require the victims to report the explicit content only once, and then the social media companies will have to remove the content across all their platforms and ensure that it does not get uploaded again.
Ofcom's role and possible penalties
Britain's communications regulator, Ofcom, would be in charge of enforcing the new rules, reported NDTV. The penalties would be based on the "Qualifying Worldwide Revenue" of the platform, a measure that covers the income generated globally from regulated services.
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In a separate statement, Ofcom announced plans to expedite its decision-making on regulations that demand platforms to use "hash-matching" technology to reduce illegal intimate images at their source. The decision is expected to be announced in May, with the new rules being implemented as early as summer.
This announcement is part of a larger discussion in Britain regarding online safety, which also includes discussions about limiting access to social media by users aged less than 16 years old.
