The social networks working in the UK will be obligated to remove the offensive photos and videos within 48 hours of receiving a complaint; they may receive substantial fines or even be blocked.

The UK government added the amendments to the draft Crime and Policing Bill that is currently being discussed in the UK Parliament. The new actions are mostly to address the so-called “revenge porn”, which is when former spouses or partners post nude photos of their exes after the breakup.

Besides this, developing and spreading sexualised footage without the authorisation of a person, including that created with the help of artificial intelligence tools, like deepfake technology, will be categorised as a priority crime. It implies that the law enforcement agencies will take such crimes with seriousness as those that relate to violence against children or terrorist acts.

Prime Minister of the UK Keir Starmer pointed out that such content should be eliminated within a very specific period of time.

“We are warning companies: any posts done without permission should be taken down in 48 hours. There is no room for violence against women and girls in our society, and I will not rest without ensuring that we do all that we can to curb it,” he pointed out.

Violation of the new regulations may lead to fines of up to 10 per cent of the annual profits of the company worldwide, which may be billions of pounds in the case of a large technological platform.

Analysts observe that the changes are indicative of a wider trend in the world trend of stricter regulation of online platforms and increased responsibility in ensuring the privacy and dignity of users in the digital era.