LONDON, April 10 (Reuters) – Britain on Friday warned tech bosses they could be held personally liable and face imprisonment if their platforms fail to remove intimate images shared without consent when required to do so.
A surge in non-consensual images has fed into Britain’s wider debate over online safety, and ministers are examining whether to restrict social media access for under 16s, echoing Australia’s ban.
In February, the government said tech firms must remove non-consensual intimate images within 48 hours or face fines of up to 10% of eligible global revenue – or even risk having their services blocked.
In a move designed to ratchet up pressure for compliance, the government has now warned that senior executives could also face imprisonment if their platforms fail to comply with enforcement decisions from the regulator Ofcom without a reasonable excuse.
The proposal -contained in an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill – will be debated in parliament next week.
It is already illegal in Britain to share non-consensual intimate images online, but some victims say they struggle to have them permanently removed from platforms.
“Too many women have endured the distress of having intimate images shared online without their consent,” said online safety minister Kanishka Narayan, adding that tech leaders must be held accountable.
“This is not an optional requirement, it’s a duty that every tech leader must take seriously,” Narayan said.
The government says the steps will improve safeguards for women and girls during a global push to curb abuse in a world where images sent privately can be easily shared online and AI-based tools can instantly create sexually explicit images.
(Reporting by Catarina Demony; editing by William James)
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