科技公司将在新法律下有48小时删除有害图片

Source: BBC Technology

Tech platforms would have to remove intimate images that have been shared without consent within 48 hours, under a proposed UK law.

Proposed Legislation

The amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill—currently moving through the House of Lords—aims to treat intimate image abuse with the same severity as child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and terrorist content. Failure to comply could result in fines of up to 10 % of a company’s global sales or the blocking of its services in the UK.

Key Provisions

• 48‑hour removal deadline for non‑consensual intimate images.
• Victims need to flag an image only once, rather than contacting each platform separately.
• Platforms must block re‑uploads of removed images.
• Guidance for internet service providers to block access to sites hosting illegal content, targeting rogue websites outside the reach of the Online Safety Act.

Impact on Victims

Women, girls, and LGBT people are disproportionately affected by Intimate Image Abuse (IIA). A government report (July 2025) found that young men and boys are often targeted for financial sexual extortion (“sextortion”), where victims are asked to pay to keep images from being shared online.

A Parliamentary report (May 2025) highlighted a 20.9 % increase in reports of intimate image abuse in 2024.

Government and Expert Reactions

“A welcome and powerful move… rightly places the responsibility on tech companies to act.” – Janaya Walker, interim director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition

Speaking on BBC Breakfast, the Prime Minister said the rule would mean a victim “doesn’t have to do a sort of whack‑a‑mole chasing wherever this image is next going up.” He added that tech companies are already under a duty for terrorist material, so the mechanism “can be done” and should be pursued with the same vigour.

Sir Keir stated the law would be enforced by fines and other measures yet to be determined, noting he does not expect prison sentences for tech executives.

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said: “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.”

Supporting Reports

• Government report (July 2025) – Digital violence, real‑world harm: evaluating survivor‑centric tools for intimate image abuse in the age of generative AI
• Parliamentary report (May 2025) – Intimate image abuse: evidence and recommendations

Context and Recent Developments

The announcement follows the government’s standoff with X in January, when the AI tool Grok was used to generate images of real women in very little clothing. The functionality was subsequently removed for users.