Tougher laws needed to combat non-consensual intimate images, MPs say
5 March 2025, 00:04
The Women and Equalities Committee said possession of such images should be made an offence.
Possession of non-consensual intimate images (NCII) should be made a criminal offence, putting it on the same footing as child sexual abuse material, a new report from the Women and Equalities Committee has said.
The cross-party parliamentary committee said strengthening the law around NCII was the best way to ensure internet infrastructure providers took the issue seriously and block access to sites hosting such material.
In its report, the committee said that while many platforms remove NCII content voluntarily, some fail to do so, and that around 10% of content remains online and accessible in the UK – and only a change in the law to place such content on the same footing as child sexual abuse material could close the gap.
Sarah Owen, chair of the women and equalities committee, said that while it was “welcome” that the Government was proposing making creating NCII an offence, a “legal gap” still existed.
“NCII can circulate online years after the image was first posted. While many sites will eventually remove the content when prompted, around 10% do not,” she said.
“There is nothing in the Government’s proposals in the Crime and Policing Bill to address this concern. The Government should bring forward amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill to make possession, as well as the creation, of NCII an offence.
“This ensures NCII receives the same legal treatment as child sexual abuse material and — we hope — will provide the necessary encouragement to IIPs to block or disrupt access to such content, including that which is hosted overseas.”
As part of a range of recommendations in its report, the committee called for a new voluntary guidance to be created for internet infrastructure providers on how to tackle NCII abuse – similar to child sexual abuse material – with the Government encouraging providers to follow it, and legislating on such guidance if not enough firms respond.
The committee said the Government should also expand the legal definition of NCII to include material that is considered “culturally intimate” for the victim, such as a Muslim woman being pictured without her hijab.
In addition, it called for the creation of an online safety commission to act as a flagger of NCII content online and offer support to individuals.
“The Government should also set up an Online Safety Commission to support individuals,” Ms Owen said.
“The UK already has an excellent organisation doing some of this work in the form of the Revenge Porn Helpline, and the Government should discuss whether the RPH can be given additional resources to take on the role of the Commission itself.
“There is also an urgent need for courts to confiscate devices storing NCII content. There have been cases where, following the criminal justice process, perpetrators have had devices containing the NCII returned to them.
“This is harrowing for victims. The Government, Sentencing Council and Crown Prosecution Service must each take steps to ensure that those charged with NCII offences are deprived of that material.”
A Government spokesperson said: “Sharing intimate images online without consent is an abhorrent violation that can inflict profound and lasting harm on victims, particularly women and girls.
“Last year we strengthened laws to ensure platforms must take steps to proactively remove this material, and we have introduced new offences to make it illegal to take intimate images, install equipment, or create deepfake images without consent.
“Women have the right to feel safe wherever they are, in both the online and offline world. This Government is determined to make that happen.”
