UK to introduce new laws banning deepfakes

New rules aim to tackle rising tide of image-based abuse of women online

The UK government is to introduce new laws to make the creation and sharing of sexually explicit deepfake images and videos a criminal offence.

The move was announced in a press release by the Ministry of Justice and Alex Davies-Jones MP. It follows a similar announcement in April by the previous Conservative government.

It extends existing legislation on revenge porn, which was criminalised in 2015, by including fake sexually explicit images and videos that appear to feature the victim but which were created by AI.

There will also be new offences for “taking intimate images without consent and the installation of equipment with intent to commit these offences.” Currently the rules are restricted to certain scenarios like “upskirting.”

Perpetrators, and those who install equipment allowing others to take such images will face up to two years in prison.

Women and girls are the main victims of this behaviour. Davies-Jones, a minister with responsibility for sexual offences issues, said that one in three women have been victims of online abuse.

“This demeaning and disgusting form of chauvinism must not become normalised,” she said.

“These new offences will help prevent people being victimised online. We are putting offenders on notice – they will face the full force of the law.”

Broadcaster Jess Davies, who has campaigned against deepfakes, said: “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 rules will cover images of adults, as under-18s are already covered by existing legislation. They will be included in the Crime and Policing Bill, which will be introduced to parliament at a date yet to be confirmed.