New Delhi: The United Kingdom has introduced a new legislation aimed to tackle the issue of intimate images being shared online without consent, with the offenders facing fines of up to 10% of their worldwide revenue.
The Online Safety Act will require social media firms and search services to protect their users from illegal material on their sites, with protections due to come into force from Spring next year, a UK government press release stated.
It will make sharing intimate images without consent a ‘priority’ offence, put it on the level of serious crime, and require social media platforms to take proactive steps to remove it, as well as prevent it from appearing in the first place.
The new law also aims to protect the public from the “normalisation” of misogynistic material online, with the government recognising the role that social media can play in desensitising people to the harmful content.
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said: “The rise in intimate image abuse online is utterly intolerable. As well as being devastating for victims these crimes have also contributed to the creation of a misogynistic culture on social media that can spread into potentially dangerous relationships offline. We must tackle these crimes from every angle, including their origins online, ensuring tech companies step up and play their part.”
“Intimate image abuse is a degrading and deeply misogynistic crime and we must pull all levers available to us to stamp it out,” said Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones.
“Today’s announcement builds on the progress which has already been made, making it a specific offence to share intimate images online without consent. 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,” Jones added.