Tech firms and social media platforms will be forced to remove non‑consensual intimate images such as explicit deepfakes and revenge porn within 48 hours of being notified by victims, with ministers declaring that the days of tech giants having a “free pass” are over.

Through an amendment added to the Crime and Policing Bill currently winding its way through parliament, companies will be legally required to remove intimate images shared without consent within two calendar days of it being flagged, or risk fines of up to 10% of their worldwide revenue and having their services blocked in the UK. 

The government said that the new rules will ensure that victims only need to report an image once, with tech platforms being responsible for removing these across multiple platforms at once, and from then on automatically deleting them with every new upload.

As part of that work, ministers are also considering plans by Ofcom to introduce a digital watermark, as with child sexual abuse and terrorism content, meaning that any time someone tries to repost them, they will be automatically taken down.

Ofcom said that it will now fast-track its decision on requirements for tech firms to use proactive technology, known as “hash matching”, to detect intimate images that are shared without consent, such as explicit deepfakes, with the final ruling due in May.  

Creating or sharing non-consensual intimate images is already set to become a ‘priority offence’ under the Online Safety Act, meaning this crime is treated with the same seriousness as child abuse or terrorism by law enforcement and regulators.

“No woman should have to chase platform after platform, waiting days for an image to come down. Under this government, you report once, and you’re protected everywhere,” said Liz Kendall, technology secretary.

“The days of tech firms having a free pass are over. The internet must be a space where women and girls feel safe, respected, and able to thrive.”

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At the same time, the government said it will also look to publish guidance for internet providers setting out how they should block access to sites hosting such content, in particular targeting rogue websites that may fall outside the reach of the Online Safety Act.

The government says the measures will “hand back control” to victims, anchoring Labour’s pledge to treat violence against women and girls (VAWG) as a national emergency, and to halve the crime within the next decade.

Labour’s hard line follows a wave of worldwide condemnation over AI‑generated deepfake abuse, particularly the wave of sexually explicit fakes produced and shared via X’s chatbot Grok, which recent figures show has grown exponentially in recent months despite mounting outrage.

While welcoming the latest move as forcing platforms to take responsibility, Janaya Walker, director of the End Violence Against Women campaign group, said: “It is the tech companies who have profited from this harm. And it is thanks to the work of survivors and campaigners who have fought hard for government to hold tech companies to account. 

“We now need to see government go a step further and implement a mandatory code of practice on violence against women and girls that requires platforms to take proactive action to prevent abuse.”