Britain to Criminalize Creating and Sharing Sexually Explicit Deepfakes

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The UK government has announced plans to make the creation and sharing of sexually explicit "deepfakes" a criminal offense as part of a broader effort to combat the growing issue of image-based abuse. Deepfakes, which utilize artificial intelligence to create realistic videos, images, or audio clips, can distort content to feature individuals without their consent, often targeting women and girls.

The Justice Ministry highlighted that image-based abuse using deepfakes has surged by over 400% since 2017, indicating a pressing need for legal intervention. The existing legislation against revenge porn, which criminalizes the unauthorized sharing of intimate images to cause distress, does not currently cover the use of deepfakes.

Under the proposed new law, individuals creating or distributing these explicit deepfakes could face prosecution, fines, or even incarceration. Additionally, new offenses will be established for taking intimate images without consent and installing equipment with the intent to commit such abuses, with possible penalties of up to two years in prison.

Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones condemned the normalization of this behavior, labeling it as “demeaning and disgusting.” The approach also includes plans for stricter regulations on tech platforms that host abusive images to ensure they face accountability for their content.

Details of the new legal measures will be incorporated into the government's upcoming Crime and Policing Bill, which is expected to be introduced to Parliament, though a specific date has not yet been announced.

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