London threatens tech executives with jail, saying they are personally liable for images shared on their platforms
Britain warned on Friday that tech executives could be held personally liable and jailed if their platforms fail to remove intimate images shared without consent when asked to do so.
The rise in images being shared without consent has fueled the UK's wider debate on online safety, with ministers considering options to restrict access to social media for under-16s, following the example of a ban introduced in Australia late last year.
The British government said in February this year that tech firms must remove intimate images shared without consent within 48 hours or risk fines of up to 10% of eligible global revenue or even having their services blocked.
In a move designed to step up pressure for compliance, Sir Keir Starmer's government has now warned that senior company executives could also be jailed if their platforms fail to comply with enforcement decisions issued by regulator Ofcom, without giving a good reason.
The proposal, included in an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill, will be debated in parliament next week.
The UK government stresses that tech executives are not immune from punishment
Although it is already illegal in the UK to share intimate images online without consent, some victims say they face difficulties getting them permanently removed from the platforms.
Kanishka Narayan, Britain's online safety minister, said too many women had endured the pain of having intimate images shared online without their consent, stressing that technology leaders must be held accountable.
Narayan said this is not an optional requirement, but an obligation that every technology leader must take seriously.
The British government argues that the measures will improve the protection of women and girls in a global context of trying to curb abuse in a world where privately sent images can be easily shared online and artificial intelligence-based tools can instantly create sexually explicit images.
