UK Government to Criminalize Creation and Sharing of Sexually Explicit Deepfakes

UK promises law against sexually explicit deepfakes

The UK government has promised to make the creation and sharing of sexually explicit deepfake images a criminal offence. It said the growth of artificially created but realistic images was alarming and caused devastating harm to victims, particularly the women and girls who are often the target. The government promises to introduce a new offence, meaning perpetrators could be charged for both creating and sharing these images under the government's Crime and Policing Bill, which will be introduced when parliamentary time allows. It will also create new offences for the taking of intimate images without consent while those installing equipment for the purpose of making intimate images without consent are also set to be covered by the law. In a statement, victims minister Alex Davies-Jones said: "It is unacceptable that one in three women have been victims of online abuse. This demeaning and disgusting form of chauvinism must not become normalized. "These new offences will help prevent people being victimized online. We are putting offenders on notice - they will face the full force of the law," she said. A two-year jail term could apply to both criminals who take an intimate image without consent and those who install equipment for that purpose. In a statement Baroness Jones, technology minister, said: "With these new measures, we're sending an unequivocal message: creating or sharing these vile images is not only unacceptable but criminal. Tech companies need to step up too - platforms hosting this content will face tougher scrutiny and significant penalties." The Justice Ministry said sexually explicit deepfake offences are set to apply to images of adults, as the law already covers such images of children. It is already an offence to share or threaten to share intimate images, including deepfakes, under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, following amendments that were made by the Online Safety Act 2023. In September last year, some of the largest AI firms in America promised to prevent their AI products from being used to generate non-consensual deepfake pornography and child sexual abuse material. Adobe, Anthropic, Cohere, Microsoft, OpenAI, and open source web data repository Common Crawl were among those making the non-binding commitments to the Biden administration. Google's YouTube has also created privacy guidelines that allow people to request the removal of AI-generated videos that mimic them, the company said in July last year. ®

UK government to criminalise sexually explicit deepfakes

"We are putting offenders on notice - they will face the full force of the law," the victims minister said. Making sexually explicit "deepfake" images will become a criminal offence in the UK, the government said amid a boom in new generative artificial intelligence (genAI) tools and a concerning rise in artificial images. Deepfakes are pictures or videos that appear to be hyperrealistic but are digitally altered and spread to damage the reputation of someone. "It is unacceptable that one in three women have been victims of online abuse," Alex Davies-Jones, the UK's victims and violence against women and girls minister, said in a statement announcing the government's plans. "These new offences will help prevent people being victimised online. We are putting offenders on notice - they will face the full force of the law," Davies-Jones added. The UK government said that both the creation and the diffusion of deepfakes could lead to charges. Under the new offences, taking intimate images without consent could also lead to up to two years' custody, according to a press release. In 2019, Deeptrace, a company specialised in AI, estimated that porn made up 96 per cent of deepfake videos, with the vast majority created without the consent of the featured person. Early cases of digital manipulation to sexualise women date back to 2017 but genAI provided new accessible tools that have led to a deepfake phenomenon. Victims, meanwhile, have struggled with how to hold perpetrators accountable. "With these new measures, we're sending an unequivocal message: creating or sharing these vile images is not only unacceptable but criminal," said Baroness Jones, the UK's technology minister, in a statement. She added that companies "need to step up too" as platforms will face "tougher scrutiny and significant penalties". In the EU, the current legislation is a patchwork between the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and individual countries' defamation laws. A directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence, including cyberviolence, was adopted in spring 2024. Victims can also turn to the platform StopNCII.org which helps to prevent the spread of images.

Britain to make sexually explicit 'deepfakes' a crime

LONDON (Reuters) - Creating and sharing sexually explicit "deepfakes" will become a criminal offence in Britain, the government said on Tuesday, in a bid to tackle a surge in the proliferation of such images, mainly targeting women and girls. Deepfakes are videos, pictures or audio clips made with artificial intelligence to look real, and such technology can be used to digitally alter pornographic images into the likeness of someone else. Publishing intimate photos or videos without consent and with the intent to cause distress - so-called revenge porn - was criminalised in Britain in 2015, but that legislation does not cover the use of fake images. Data from UK-based Revenge Porn Helpline showed image-based abuse using deepfakes has increased more than 400% since 2017. Under the new offence to be introduced by the government, perpetrators could be charged and face prosecution for both creating and sharing these images. "There is no excuse for creating a sexually explicit deepfake of someone without their consent," the justice ministry said in a statement. The previous Conservative government, which lost power to the Labour Party in July, announced similar plans to make sexually explicit deepfakes a criminal offence. Under its proposal, offenders would face fines and even jail time. The justice ministry said further details of the new offence would be set out in due course. The government said it would also create new offences for the taking of intimate images without consent and the installation of equipment with intent to commit these offences. Those found guilty could face up to two years behind bars. "This demeaning and disgusting form of chauvinism must not become normalised," said Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones. Technology minister Margaret Jones said tech platforms hosting abusive images would face tougher scrutiny and significant penalties. "Intimate-image abuse is a national emergency that is causing significant, long-lasting harm to women and girls who face a total loss of control over their digital footprint, at the hands of online misogyny," said campaigner Jess Davies. The new offences will be included in the government's Crime and Policing Bill, which will be introduced to parliament. A date is yet to be set. (Reporting by Catarina Demony; Editing by Alex Richardson)

UK to make creating explicit deepfakes new offence

LONDON (AFP) - Britain plans to criminally charge people who create and share sexually explicit deepfake images to better protect women and girls, a minister said yesterday. The government also plans to designate taking intimate images without consent and installing equipment to that end as new offences, with perpetrators facing up to two years in prison, the Ministry of Justice said. It is already an offence in the United Kingdom (UK) to share or threaten to share intimate images, including deepfakes. But currently it is only an offence to create an image without consent in certain circumstances, such as so-called upskirting. Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones said "there are current gaps" in the law and the government was "broadening" them. "We're making it more robust to protect women and girls," she told Sky News, adding one in three women in the UK were victims of intimate images of them being made or shared. "It's awful. It's horrific. It really, really makes women vulnerable, intimidates them, and these perpetrators of these crimes deserve to feel the full force of the law." The Justice Ministry noted "hyper-realistic" deepfakes have proliferated at "an alarming rate" in recent years, "causing devastating harm to victims". Deepfakes are images generated or edited using artificial intelligence (AI) featuring real people. Experts warn an online boom in these non-consensual deepfakes is outpacing efforts to regulate the technology globally, with a proliferation of cheap AI tools including photo apps digitally undressing women. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner was among more than 30 British female politicians found to be targeted by a deepfake porn website, according to a Channel 4 investigation published last year. Campaigner Jess Davies welcomed the new laws plan, saying "intimate-image abuse is a national emergency that is causing significant, long-lasting harm". The new offences will be included in the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill, which the Justice Ministry said will be unveiled "when parliamentary time allows". The End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW) urged ministers to speed up introducing the plans. "We are yet to see a timeline for the offence or any details about the new law, which will be crucial to how effective it is," said head of policy and campaigns at EVAW Rebecca Hitchen. "The government must make good on its commitments to survivors - delaying action will only put women and girls in harm's way."

Britain to Make Sexually Explicit 'Deepfakes' a Crime

LONDON (Reuters) - Creating and sharing sexually explicit "deepfakes" will become a criminal offence in Britain, the government said on Tuesday, in a bid to tackle a surge in the proliferation of such images, mainly targeting women and girls. Deepfakes are videos, pictures or audio clips made with artificial intelligence to look real, and such technology can be used to digitally alter pornographic images into the likeness of someone else. Publishing intimate photos or videos without consent and with the intent to cause distress - so-called revenge porn - was criminalised in Britain in 2015, but that legislation does not cover the use of fake images. Data from UK-based Revenge Porn Helpline showed image-based abuse using deepfakes has increased more than 400% since 2017. Under the new offence to be introduced by the government, perpetrators could be charged and face prosecution for both creating and sharing these images. "There is no excuse for creating a sexually explicit deepfake of someone without their consent," the justice ministry said in a statement. The previous Conservative government, which lost power to the Labour Party in July, announced similar plans to make sexually explicit deepfakes a criminal offence. Under its proposal, offenders would face fines and even jail time. The justice ministry said further details of the new offence would be set out in due course. The government said it would also create new offences for the taking of intimate images without consent and the installation of equipment with intent to commit these offences. Those found guilty could face up to two years behind bars. "This demeaning and disgusting form of chauvinism must not become normalised," said Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones. Technology minister Margaret Jones said tech platforms hosting abusive images would face tougher scrutiny and significant penalties. "Intimate-image abuse is a national emergency that is causing significant, long-lasting harm to women and girls who face a total loss of control over their digital footprint, at the hands of online misogyny," said campaigner Jess Davies. The new offences will be included in the government's Crime and Policing Bill, which will be introduced to parliament. A date is yet to be set. (Reporting by Catarina Demony; Editing by Alex Richardson)

UK confirms plans to criminalize the creation of sexually explicit deepfake content | TechCrunch

The U.K. is forging ahead with plans to make the act of creating sexually explicit "deepfake" images a specific criminal offence. A deepfake refers to manipulated media, often video or audio, created using AI to make someone appear to say or do something they didn't. The U.K. had already made sharing -- and the threat of sharing -- sexually explicit deepfake content an offence via the Online Safety Act that went into force last year. But creating the content itself was not covered. As such, the Ministry of Justice today announced plans to make the existing rules more holistic, covering those who create it too -- irrespective of what role they play in any subsequent sharing. The previous Conservative U.K. government had detailed similar plans, but with the arrival of the new government in July, it wasn't certain what direction Prime Minister Keir Starmer's party would go, though Labour did pledge to combat deepfakes more thoroughly in its election manifesto. Starmer himself was actually subject to a deepfake video smear, where his AI-likeness was seen promoting an investment scheme. The U.S. doesn't have any specific laws in place to counter deepfakes, though several states are pushing for legislation -- including California, which Elon Musk's X is suing to prevent the law from coming to fruition. Technology has made it easer for laypeople to create deepfake imagery and audio for any purpose, including fraudulent activity through impersonation scams. But with today's announcement, the U.K. government is focusing on sexually explicit content specifically, which it says disproportionately impacts women. "It is unacceptable that one in three women have been victims of online abuse," Parliamentary Under-Secretary Alex Davies-Jones said in a statement. "This demeaning and disgusting form of chauvinism must not become normalised, and as part of our Plan for Change we are bearing down on violence against women - whatever form it takes." The government also announced plans to expand the scope of existing laws around the taking of intimate images without consent, which is currently restricted to very specific situations such as upskirting. For example, anyone who installs equipment, such as hidden cameras, for the purpose of taking intimate images could face up to two years in prison. (Upskirting refers to taking a photograph or video underneath a person's clothes for the purpose of viewing their underwear or genitals/buttocks without their knowledge or consent for sexual gratification or to cause humiliation, distress or alarm.) A specific timescale hasn't been detailed on these various changes. However, the government said that it would include them as part of the upcoming Crime and Policing Bill, which will be introduced "when parliamentary time allows."

UK To Criminalize Deepfakes Creation With Two-Year Jail Term

The United Kingdom Government has announced its plans to turn the creation and sharing of sexually explicit deepfakes into a criminal offence. The proliferation of such "hyper-realistic images has grown at an alarming rate, causing devastating harm to victims, particularly women and girls who are often the target", it stated in a press release on January 7, 2025. Deepfakes - images, videos or audio clips created with the help of artificial intelligence to provide the content a sense of realism - can be explicitly altered as per the maker's wish to the likeness of any other individual. "With these new measures, we're sending an unequivocal message: creating or sharing these vile images is not only unacceptable but criminal. Tech companies need to step up too - platforms hosting this content will face tougher scrutiny and significant penalties", said the UK Tech Minister Baroness Jones. Why it matters? Under the new offence, anyone charged with capturing an intimate image without consent can face up to two years in custody. The same applies for those who set up equipment in order to take intimate images without consent. Earlier in April 2024, the UK government announced it would criminalize the creation of non-consensual sexually explicit deepfakes through a new law. The new offence is going to be a part of the Crime and Policing bill, which has not yet been introduced before the Parliament. Significantly, this comes roughly a year after intimate image abuse was covered under criminal offences in the UK's landmark Online Safety Act back on January 31, 2024. Tweaking OSA to help victims of intimate image abuse and deepfakes Under the Sexual Offences Act, 2003 in the UK, even though it amounts to an offence to share, or threaten to share, intimate image(s) without consent, it is only an offence to take an image without consent in certain circumstances (such as upskirting). The Online Safety Act was effectively used to create a "base offence" within the Sexual Offences Act of sharing intimate images without consent, and at the same time consolidated various pre-existing offences within the OSA to create more effective tools to provide speedy justice for victims. Examples of this include addressing deepfakes and introducing a new "cyberflashing" offence. Section 187 of the Online Safety Act introduced the new offence of cyberflashing (for insertion as Section 66A into the Sexual Offences Act), which covered sexually explicit deepfakes under its ambit. Also Read:

Crackdown promised on creators of sexually explicit deepfakes and intimate images without consent

The move is part of a package of laws being introduced in relation to sexually explicit images after victims minister Alex Davies-Jones said one in three women had been subjected to online abuse. Perpetrators who create sexually explicit "deepfakes" of adults could be prosecuted under new laws being introduced to help protect women and girls. It is already illegal for such images to be created of children, but the law is now set to cover those over 18 after the Ministry of Justice said the "proliferation" of these "hyper-realistic images" has been growing at an "alarming rate". Deepfakes are images that have been edited or altered to create a realistic portrayal of a moment that didn't take place. They are usually created using artificial intelligence tools which respond to a prompt by the user. Both those who create and share sexually explicit deepfake images could be charged under the new law that is set to be introduced. The government has not yet revealed what sentences those found guilty of the offences could face. The Labour government had promised in its 2024 general election manifesto that it would make it illegal to create sexually explicit deepfake images. The move is part of a package of laws being introduced in relation to intimate images after victims minister Alex Davies-Jones said one in three women had been victims of online abuse. Under the fresh laws, the capturing of intimate images without consent will be punishable with a prison sentence of up to two years. It is already an offence to share, or threaten to share, an intimate image without consent. However, it is currently only a crime to take an image without consent in certain circumstances such as upskirting. Meanwhile, a new law will also mean those who install equipment with the intent of capturing intimate images without consent could face up to two years in prison. Ms Davies-Jones said: "It is unacceptable that one in three women have been victims of online abuse. "This demeaning and disgusting form of chauvinism must not become normalised, and as part of our plan for change we are bearing down on violence against women - whatever form it takes. "These new offences will help prevent people being victimised online. We are putting offenders on notice - they will face the full force of the law." The new laws will be included in the government's crime and policing bill but a date has not been set for when they will be introduced. Last year, social media influencer and former Love Island contestant, Cally Jane Beech, 33, was horrified when she discovered someone had used AI to turn an underwear brand photograph of her into a nude and it was being shared online. The original image had been uploaded to a site that uses software to digitally transform a clothed picture into a naked picture. She told Sky News: "It looked so realistic, like nobody but me would know. It was like looking at me, but also not me." She added: "There shouldn't be such a thing. It's not a colouring book. It's not a bit of fun. It's people's identity and stripping their clothes off." When Ms Beech reported what had happened to the police, she struggled to get them to treat it as a crime. "They didn't really know what they could do about it, and because the site that hosted the image was global, they said that it's out of their jurisdiction."

U.K. Government to Make Creation of Sexually Explicit Deepfakes a Criminal Offense

Yes, the New Harlan Coben Netflix Series 'Missing You,' Uses the Title of John Waite's Hit Song The U.K. government of Prime Minister and Labour Party leader Keir Starmer said on Tuesday that it will make "creating sexually explicit deepfake images a criminal offense" as it cracks down on "vile online abuse." "The proliferation of these hyper-realistic images has grown at an alarming rate, causing devastating harm to victims, particularly women and girls who are often the target," it highlighted. "To tackle this, the government will introduce a new offense meaning perpetrators could be charged for both creating and sharing these images, not only marking a crackdown on this abhorrent behavior but making it clear there is no excuse for creating a sexually explicit deepfake of someone without their consent." The new sexually explicit deepfakes offenses, which will be included in the government's Crime and Policing Bill, will apply to "images," a word that in British law not only covers photos but also videos or films, of adults because existing law already "covers this behavior where the image is of a child, under the age of 18." The U.K. government also unveiled plans to update existing law so that perpetrators will face up to two years behind bars "under new offenses for taking an intimate image without consent and installing equipment to enable these offenses." Said U.K. Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones: "It is unacceptable that one in three women have been victims of online abuse. This demeaning and disgusting form of chauvinism must not become normalized." Starmer's government has made technological change a focus as of late, recently also launching a consultation on "plans to give certainty to the creative industries and AI developers on how copyright material can be used to train AI models." Running until Feb. 25, its goal is helping to "drive growth across both sectors by ensuring protection and payment for rights holders and supporting AI developers to innovate responsibly." Davies-Jones said that the proposed updates will "give law enforcement a holistic package of offenses to effectively tackle non-consensual intimate image abuse." For example, "while it is already an offense to share - or threaten to share - an intimate image without consent, it is only an offense to take an image without consent in certain circumstances, such as upskirting. Under the new offenses, anyone who takes an intimate image without consent faces up to two years' custody. Those who install equipment so that they, or someone else, can take intimate images without consent also face up to two years behind bars." Concluded U.K. Technology Minister Maggie Jones: "The rise of intimate image abuse is a horrifying trend that exploits victims and perpetuates a toxic online culture. These acts are not just cowardly, they are deeply damaging, particularly for women and girls who are disproportionately targeted. With these new measures, we're sending an unequivocal message: creating or sharing these vile images is not only unacceptable but criminal. Tech companies need to step up too - platforms hosting this content will face tougher scrutiny and significant penalties.".