Committee publication · Correspondence · 3 June 2026
Correspondence from Minister for AI and Online Safety, re: Online Safety Act: Ofcom Illegal Content Codes – Targeted Amendment, 27 May 2026
Summary
Minister for AI and Online Safety Kanishka Narayan informs the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee that the government will lay a targeted amendment to Ofcom's illegal content Codes of Practice on 1 June 2026. The amendment requires online platforms to deploy perceptual hash-matching or equivalent technologies to proactively prevent repeated sharing of non-consensual intimate images and deepfakes, shifting enforcement from reactive removal to preventive interception.
Key findings
- Government will lay targeted amendment to Ofcom's illegal content Codes under Online Safety Act 2023 on 1 June 2026
- Amendment mandates platforms implement proactive systems using perceptual hash-matching or equally effective alternatives to detect and block re-uploads of non-consensual intimate images and intimate image deepfakes
- Requirement shifts from reactive removal following reports to proactive interception of known harmful content before distribution
- Amendment aims to reduce repeated reporting burden on victims and ensure consistent prevention, fulfilling Prime Minister's commitment to strengthen protections for intimate image abuse victims
- Draft amendments subject to 40-day parliamentary scrutiny period per statutory process in Online Safety Act 2023
Tone
ProceduralTopics
online-safetysafeguardingnon-consensual-intimate-imagestechnology-regulation
Key actors
Kanishka Narayan MP, Dame Chi Onwurah, Department for Science, Innovation & Technology, Ofcom, Prime Minister
Notable line
“This amendment ensures that relevant platforms put in place proactive systems to prevent the repeated sharing of known non-consensual intimate images, including intimate image deepfakes.”
Key Quotes
“This amendment ensures that relevant platforms put in place proactive systems to prevent the repeated sharing of known non-consensual intimate images, including intimate image deepfakes.”
“It also delivers on the Prime Minister' s commitment to strengthen protections for victims of intimate image abuse and demonstrates the Government's broader determination to take decisive action to tackle violence against women and girls.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗