More women and girls will be protected from deepfake abuse after the UK government announced plans to ban "nudification" tools that use generative AI to produce non-consensual nude images and videos of real people, and to make it impossible for children to take, share or view nude images on their phones. According to the government, the measures sit at the centre of a refreshed strategy to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG) that places online harms and prevention for young people at its core. [1][3]
Ministers say the new approach combines legislation, industry codes and technical safeguards. The plan includes a new offence to criminalise the creation and supply of tools that generate explicit deepfakes, extending earlier moves to make the production and sharing of non-consensual sexually explicit deepfakes a criminal act. The government will also work with technology companies to deploy device-level nudity detection filters and other preventative tools to stop abuse before it happens. [1][5][3]
The proposed legal push is intended to reach beyond individual offenders to target firms and developers who design, host or profit from such "nudification" services. The government says wording in forthcoming bills , alongside amendments to product-safety and emerging AI legislation discussed by commentators and campaigners , will enable police and regulators to take action against suppliers of the apps and services. According to The Guardian, policymakers are considering changes to the Product Safety and Metrology Bill and the proposed AI Bill to give regulators additional powers. [1][2]
Officials emphasised prevention as the primary aim. "We must stop these images being created and shared while tackling the root causes of negative influences on young men in their schools, homes and online. That's why we will join forces with tech companies to stop predators online and prevent the next generation from being exploited by sexual extortion and abuse. 'Nudification' apps are not used for harmless pranks. They devastate young people's lives, and we will ensure those who create or supply them face real consequences. Every child deserves to grow up safe, and we will do whatever it takes to make that a reality," Minister for Safeguarding and Violence against Women and Girls Jess Phillips said in the government statement. The government also highlighted work already under way with British safety tech firms and the use of existing smartphone filters as part of the preventative armoury. [1][3]
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall reiterated the enforcement intent, saying: "Women and girls deserve to be safe online as well as offline. We will not stand by while technology is weaponised to abuse, humiliate and exploit them through the creation of non-consensual sexually explicit deepfakes. I am introducing a new offence to ban nudification tools, so that those who profit from them or enable their use, will feel the full force of the law - so that together we end this abuse of women and girls. Our priority is protecting victims and ensuring the internet is a safer place for women and girls." The government frames the change as complementary to other online-safety obligations already placed on platforms. [1][5]
Campaigners and victims' voices, the government said, illustrate the human stakes. Roxy Longworth, founder of the Behind Our Screens campaign, recounted being coerced at 13 into sending intimate images that were then shared, leaving her with severe mental-health trauma. "If device controls like these had existed when I was 13, my life would have been completely different. I would not have been coerced, blackmailed, abused and I would have been saved the devastating humiliation and mental health crisis that followed. It's so important that technology is used to protect young people, not harm them. I'm also relieved to see nudification apps being banned and that the government is taking action to protect the next generation from new technological threats," she said. The government has cited case studies and statistics to underline urgency, including large-scale counts of sexual deepfakes and the predominance of female victims. [1]
Regulatory enforcement is already being exercised under the wider online-safety regime. Industry data and recent regulatory action show platforms and sites are being scrutinised: the media regulator Ofcom has published codes of practice requiring tech firms to assess and mitigate risks from illegal content including child sexual abuse, with significant penalties for non-compliance, and regulators have already fined operators of AI-driven nudification services for failures in age verification. Reuters reported the new codes and Ofcom's powers, while commercial reporting has noted fines imposed on operators of specific nudification sites for inadequate safeguards. The government says these enforcement levers will sit alongside criminal offences to form a comprehensive response. [4][7]
Experts and campaigners have urged rapid, co-ordinated action while flagging the technical and legal complexities of policing generative-AI tools. Industry observers note that automated detection and moderation are imperfect, that tools can be hosted offshore, and that misuse can migrate rapidly between services. The government has therefore signalled a multipronged strategy: criminal offences against creators and suppliers, strengthened regulatory obligations on platforms, and partnerships with tech firms to build device-level protections aimed specifically at preventing children from creating, sharing or viewing nude imagery. The Guardian has reported calls from the Children's Commissioner for explicit prohibition of such tools in statute as part of this package. [2][3][4]
The government described the programme as the largest crackdown on violence against women and girls in the nation's history, framed around stopping abuse before it starts. Officials say that preventing images from being created or disseminated will undercut business models built on sexual extortion and reduce the flow of child sexual abuse material online. The policy will be resourced through both legislative amendments and intensified enforcement under the Online Safety Act and related measures, and ministers have urged Ofcom and other agencies to fast-track enforcement of existing duties. Reuters coverage of ministerial remarks and regulatory action indicates pressure on regulators to move quickly. [1][6][4]
📌 Reference Map:
##Reference Map:
- [1] (Mirage News) - Paragraph 1, Paragraph 2, Paragraph 4, Paragraph 5, Paragraph 8
- [3] (UK government release) - Paragraph 1, Paragraph 2, Paragraph 6
- [2] (The Guardian) - Paragraph 3, Paragraph 7
- [5] (Reuters) - Paragraph 2, Paragraph 5
- [4] (Reuters) - Paragraph 6, Paragraph 7, Paragraph 8
- [7] (Yahoo Finance) - Paragraph 6
Source: Noah Wire Services