UK government threatens tech bosses with jail time if they do not adequately fight nudification tools

The U.K. government on Friday announced it has formally submitted a proposed change to a crime bill that would allow tech executives who fail to remove nonconsensual intimate images published on their platforms to be imprisoned.

A U.K. communications regulator, Ofcom, has said it will be cracking down on the spread of the images in the aftermath of the Grok scandal, which led to millions of “nudified” images of women and children to be circulated worldwide.

The scandal led to a worldwide backlash and condemnation from multiple national governments, which pledged to stop the practice.

“Tech execs could be held personally liable if platforms fail to comply with Ofcom’s enforcement decisions to remove people’s intimate images that have been shared without consent,” according to a government press release.

“This would mean senior execs who commit the offense without a reasonable excuse could be liable to imprisonment or a fine, or both.”

In February, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the crime law containing the new amendment would mandate that tech companies take down nonconsensual intimate images within two days or face fines and the blockage of services. Imprisonment was not mentioned as a potential penalty at the time, making Friday’s announcement a significant escalation in the government’s approach to the issue.

On January 13, about three weeks after Grok started spreading millions of nudified images, Ofcom announced a probe of the chatbot’s practices. Grok is owned by Elon Musk’s xAI. 

In a Guardian opinion piece published at the time. Starmer wrote that the mass distribution of nonconsensual intimate images is a “national emergency.”

“We are putting tech companies on notice,” he added. “The burden of tackling abuse must no longer fall on victims. It must fall on perpetrators – and on the companies that enable harm.”