UK’s internet watchdog toughens approach to deepfake porn

Ofcom, the U.K.’s internet safety regulator, has published another new draft guidance as it continues to implement the Online Safety Act (OSA) — the latest set of recommendations aim to support in-scope firms to meet legal obligations to protect women and girls from online threats like harassment and bullying, misogyny, and intimate image abuse. The government has said that protecting women and girls is a priority for its implementation of the OSA. Certain forms of (predominantly) misogynist abuse — such as sharing intimate images without consent or using AI tools to create deepfake porn that targets individuals — are explicitly set out in the law as enforcement priorities. The online safety regulation, which was approved by the U.K. parliament back in September 2023, has faced criticism that it’s not up to the task of reforming platform giants, despite containing substantial penalties for non-compliance — up to 10% of global annual turnover. Child safety campaigners have also expre ... Read full article.