Ofcom to Require UK Tech Firms to Strengthen Deepfake and Intimate-Image Takedowns
Summary
Ofcom plans to strengthen UK platform rules for detecting and removing non-consensual intimate images, including wider hash matching. Related legislation would ban nudification tools and require takedowns within two days.
Key points
- Ofcom is updating its codes of practice to require tech companies to do more to detect and remove non-consensual intimate images; the changes are expected this autumn, pending parliamentary action.
- Ofcom recommends wider use of hash matching to identify and block repeated uploads of the same or similar images.
- New UK legislation would ban nudification tools and require removal of non-consensual intimate images within two days.
- Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned that companies failing to meet the takedown deadline could face hefty fines or service blocks.
- The government’s focus follows the spread of millions of AI-generated nude images of women and children via xAI’s Grok chatbot, according to the article.
- The article contrasts the UK approach with the expiry of an EU law that had allowed tech firms to scan communications for child sexual abuse material.
Article Details
- Event Type
- Ofcom regulatory action to strengthen the detection and removal of non-consensual intimate images and curb AI-generated deepfakes.
- Impact
- Ofcom is updating its codes of practice and recommending broader use of hash matching. The changes are expected to take effect this autumn, pending action by the UK Parliament. New legislation will ban nudification tools and require removal of non-consensual intimate images within two days; companies that fail to comply could face hefty fines or service blocking. The measures respond to the spread of nudified images of women and children through xAI’s Grok chatbot.