U.K. Tightens the Reins on Deepfake Creations with New Legal Measures
The U.K. is taking a bold step forward in its battle against sexually explicit “deepfake” images by proposing a new law to criminalize their creation. Deepfakes, often crafted using AI, involve manipulated media that can make individuals appear to say or do things they haven’t. While the Online Safety Act, implemented last year, already targets the sharing or threatening to share such content, it didn’t address the act of creating it. This oversight is now being rectified by the Ministry of Justice’s announcement to expand the law’s reach.
Previously, the focus was solely on distribution, but now creators themselves will be held accountable under the proposed changes—no matter what happens with their content afterward. The former Conservative government had touched upon similar ideas; however, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour party taking charge, there was some uncertainty about future actions. Notably, Starmer himself fell victim to a deepfake scam promoting a bogus investment scheme.
While the U.K. progresses with these legal adjustments, the U.S. has no nationwide laws addressing deepfakes, though certain states like California are pushing for regulations, despite challenges such as Elon Musk’s X company suing to block such laws.
“It is unacceptable that one in three women have been victims of online abuse,” Parliamentary Under-Secretary Alex Davies-Jones emphasized. “This demeaning and disgusting form of chauvinism must not become normalized.”
– Parliamentary Under-Secretary Alex Davies-Jones
The U.K.’s initiative specifically targets sexually explicit content due to its disproportionate impact on women. As part of their broader “Plan for Change,” they aim to combat all forms of violence against women. Furthermore, the government plans to broaden laws concerning non-consensual intimate images beyond current restrictions like upskirting.
- Installing hidden cameras for intimate images could lead to up to two years in prison.
Though a timeline for these legal changes hasn’t been set, they are expected to be part of the upcoming Crime and Policing Bill, slated for introduction when parliamentary schedules permit.
