According to Tech Digest, as of today, January 8th, 2026, the UK government has officially designated “cyberflashing” as a “priority offence” under the Online Safety Act. This shifts the legal burden from victims to the tech companies themselves, which could now face fines of up to 10% of their global annual revenue for failing to implement preventative measures. The move is a response to staggering statistics showing one in three teenage girls and 40% of women aged 18-34 have been targeted by unsolicited sexual images. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall and Minister for Safeguarding Jess Phillips announced the crackdown, stating the responsibility must now lie with companies to block content. The regulator Ofcom will now consult on new codes of practice to dictate the specific technical steps platforms must take.
How the crackdown actually works
So, here’s the thing. This isn’t just about punishing people after they send a gross image. That law already existed since 2022. This new rule is about prevention. By making it a “priority offence,” the government is forcing platforms to use “proactive technology” to stop these images before they ever land in someone’s inbox. Think of it like airport security for DMs. The onus is now on the tech giants to build the scanner.
The tech and the trade-offs
Now, how do you even do that? Well, some platforms are already trying. Bumble’s “Private Detector” AI is a prime example—it automatically blurs suspected nudity and lets the recipient choose what to do next. But that’s just one app. Scaling this across every social media platform, dating app, and file-sharing service is a monumental task. The big challenge? Accuracy and privacy. An overzealous filter could block consensual intimate images or medical photos. An underpowered one is useless. And let’s be real, the companies are going to scream about the cost and complexity. But with fines that could reach billions for the biggest firms, they’ll suddenly find the budget and engineering talent.
A broader shift in responsibility
This is a huge philosophical shift. For decades, the mantra has been that platforms are just neutral pipes, not responsible for what flows through them. Jess Phillips’s comment says it all: the responsibility must lie with companies so women don’t have to “endure” the abuse. Basically, the UK is calling that bluff. It’s saying if you build the communication channel, you are responsible for making it safe by design. It’s no longer acceptable to build the tool and then outsource the safety labor to your users. This is part of a wider, global regulatory squeeze on tech, moving from reactive content moderation to proactive systemic safety. Will it work? That’s the billion-dollar question.
