Ofcom to speed up decision on rules enforcing tech companies to block illegal images online

The regulator says this is due to the “urgent need for better online protections for women and girls”

Ofcom is fast-tracking its decision on new rules requiring tech companies to block illegal intimate images online, citing an "urgent need for better online protections for women and girls."

The regulator had previously proposed that sites and apps implement "hash matching" technology to detect and remove non-consensual intimate content, including deepfakes.

Originally slated for later this year, Ofcom's final decision on these crucial measures has now been brought forward to May.

Any new measures under the Illegal Harms Code are expected to come into effect this summer.

Decisions on other online safety proposals, such as how tech firms should respond quickly to spikes in harmful content, will be made in autumn.

Any new measures under the Illegal Harms Code are expected to come into effect this summer (Yui Mok/PA)

Another proposal would make livestreaming safer for children by blocking harmful interactions and stopping abuse.

Elena Michael, a campaigner from the group #NotYourPorn, said the announcement is “incredibly welcome” but she needs to see how the measures will work in practice.

She added: “Up until this point we’ve had quite a singular focus of we criminalise the first individual or perpetrator who creates this kind of harm, but with the nature of the internet, once that image or video is created and then shared, many other actors play a role in facilitating and proliferating the harm, which means that it’s shared and reshared multiple times.

“So really going after an individual perpetrator is not enough.”

It comes as technology firms face stringent new regulations as the government tables an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill.

The bill will mandate the removal of non-consensual intimate images online within 48 hours of being reported.

Failure to comply could result in substantial fines or services being blocked in the UK

Sir Keir Starmer said this is the latest step in the "21st century battle against violence against women and girls" online as he vowed to put tech firms “on notice.