9 hrs ago
UK Plans Kill Switch to Remove Revenge Porn Immediately
The UK government is planning a quicker way to remove private sexual pictures and videos shared without permission.
Right now, technology companies have up to 48 hours to remove them after an official request.
The proposed system would act faster after the material is flagged.
Officials are also looking at whether artificial intelligence could stop copies from appearing on other social media sites.
Georgia Harrison, who experienced this abuse, has called for such a system.
The article says people who share these images can face prison in the UK and the United States.
The UK government is developing a proposed system to remove flagged intimate images and videos faster than the current 48-hour window.
Ministers, including Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, are considering artificial intelligence to prevent the material from being reposted across social media platforms.
The plans follow calls for a kill switch by television personality Georgia Harrison, who was a victim of revenge porn.
The article says the UK Crime and Policing Act 2026 provides up to three years in prison for people convicted of sharing non-consensual intimate material.
The article says US federal law also makes posting non-consensual intimate imagery a crime punishable by up to three years in prison.
- Who
- The UK government, including Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, is developing the proposal; Georgia Harrison has called for a kill switch.
- What
- A proposed system would speed up removal of flagged non-consensual intimate images and videos, with AI also being considered to prevent reposting.
- Where
- United Kingdom; the proposed measures concern content shared online and across social media platforms.
- When
- The plans are being drawn up; the article gives no specific date for their introduction.
- Why
- To strengthen the response to the non-consensual sharing and reposting of intimate images and videos.
Faster removal
Existing system
How quickly flagged content should be removed
Faster removal
The proposed kill switch would enable intimate material to be taken down immediately after it is flagged.
Existing system
Under the current arrangement described in the article, tech firms have up to 48 hours to act after a formal request from authorities.
Key facts
- Current removal window
- Tech firms are described as having 48 hours to remove material after a formal request from authorities.
- Proposed change
- A kill switch would enable faster removal after intimate material is flagged.
- AI consideration
- Ministers are exploring AI to stop material from being reposted across multiple social media platforms.
- UK penalty
- The article says a conviction under the Crime and Policing Act 2026 can carry up to three years in prison and a fine.
- Company penalties
- The article says services could be blocked in the UK and firms could face fines of up to 10% of worldwide revenue for failing to comply.
- US law
- The article says the Take It Down Act made posting non-consensual intimate imagery a federal offence, with a possible three-year prison sentence.
Sources
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