On Friday the Home Office made a public announcement, declaring their plan of action to tackle the rising online sexual offences in the UK. From now on, the sharing of intimate photos without consent will be seen as a “priority offence” under the Online Safety Act 2023.
A “priority offence” is classified as the most serious of online crimes. This means, that sharing such non-consensual photos is now put on the same footing as public order offences and the sales of drugs and weapons online.
Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram will be expected to prevent and remove any such content shared on their platforms without consent. If they fail to do so, they will face fines.
In their press release, the government said that the regulator Ofcom will be responsible for making sure this is being upheld. Ofcom will have “robust enforcement powers”, which will include imposing fines “that could reach up to 10% of qualifying worldwide revenue”.
Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones said: “Intimate image abuse is a degrading and deeply misogynistic crime and we must pull all levers available to us to stamp it out. It also sends a clear message to those companies who turn a blind eye to such heinous content on their platforms – remove it without delay or face the full force of the law”.
The Technology Secretary says the rise in abuse is “intolerable” and action will help stop generations being “desensitised to their devastating effects”.
This action is planned to come into force in the spring of next year.