Creation & Sharing Of Explicit Deepfakes To Become A Criminal Offence In Britain Soon

According to data from the UK-based Revenge Porn Helpline, cases of deepfake-related image abuse have risen by over 400 per cent since 2017.

Authorities plan to introduce a new offence, enabling legal action against individuals who create or distribute such deepfakes without consent.

Source : Pexels/Kindel Media

Britain government has said that the creation as well as sharing of sexually explicit 'deepfakes' will be a criminal offence. Britain has been dealing with a surge in the proliferation of such content targeting women and minors, which is why the government has taken this step. Sharing private photos or videos without consent and with the intent to harm—commonly referred to as revenge porn—was made illegal in Britain in 2015. However, this law does not currently address the creation or distribution of fake images, such as deepfakes.

According to data from the UK-based Revenge Porn Helpline, cases of deepfake-related image abuse have risen by over 400 per cent since 2017, Reuters reported. To address this gap, the government plans to introduce a new offence, enabling legal action against individuals who create or distribute such images without consent.

The Justice Ministry in a statement said, “There is no excuse for creating a sexually explicit deepfake of someone without their consent.” The Ministry added that further details of the new offence would be revealed in time. 

Stricter Measures To Follow

The government has emphasised that it would also create new offences against capturing explicit images without consent and installation of equipment with intent to indulge in these offences. If someone is found guilty of indulging in these acts, then they could be imprisoned for up to two years. Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones said, “This demeaning and disgusting form of chauvinism must not become normalised.”

According to a Reuters report, Technology Minister Margaret Jones noted that platforms hosting such abusive images will be facing tougher scrutiny and significant penalties.

Reuters quoted campaigner Jess Davies, as saying, “Intimate-image abuse is a national emergency that is causing significant, long-lasting harm to women and girls who face a total loss of control over their digital footprint at the hands of online misogyny.”

The new offences will be incorporated into the government’s Crime and Policing Bill, which is set to be presented to parliament. However, a specific date for its introduction has not yet been determined.