UK plans ‘kill switch’ to wipe revenge porn off internet | Gravitas
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "UK plans ‘kill switch’ to wipe revenge porn off internet | Gravitas")
In recent years, multiple countries have enacted legislation to deal with this growing menace. Photograph: (Pexels)
Tech firms are mandated to take down revenge porn within 48 hours of a formal request from the authorities. If they fail to do so, their services can be blocked in the UK and can also attract fines of up to ten per cent of their worldwide revenue.
Stepping up its fight against revenge porn, the British government is now drawing up plans for a 'kill switch' to remove intimate images and videos immediately after they are flagged, as opposed to the current 48-hour window given to tech companies.
Now, revenge porn refers to the non-consensual sharing of private sexual material of another person.
The perpetrator in such cases often tends to be a former or current intimate partner, who aims to cause embarrassment or distress to the victim.
The material in question may involve photos as well as videos.
According to reports, ministers, including Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy are also exploring usage of artificial intelligence to stop such material from being reposted across multiple social media platforms.
Now, this move comes amid a demand from UK television personality Georgia Harrison who had called for a kill switch after becoming a victim of revenge porn.
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But, what are the current legal provisions in this regard?
According to UK's Crime and Policing Act 2026, a person convicted for sharing non-consensual intimate images and videos can face a jail term of three years and with fine.
Tech firms are mandated to take down revenge porn within 48 hours of a formal request from the authorities.
If they fail to do so, their services can be blocked in UK and can also attract fines of up to ten percent of their worldwide revenue.
In recent years, multiple countries have enacted legislation to deal with this growing menace.
For instance, the 'Take It Down Act' was passed in U.S. last year with overwhelming bipartisan congressional support.
Posting non-consensual intimate imagery online was made a federal offence, attracting a three-year jail sentence.
The legislation also mandated platforms to remove such material within 48 hours.