UK to Ban Nudification AI Apps to Curb Online Misogyny

The UK government is moving to outlaw AI-powered nudification apps that make people appear unclothed in photos or videos. The policy is part of a broader plan to cut violence against women and girls online and offline.

The new offences would criminalise creating or supplying tools that let users remove clothing from someone’s image without consent. It builds on existing rules that already ban sexually explicit deepfakes and the non-consensual sharing of intimate images.

“Women and girls deserve to be safe online as well as offline,” Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said, adding the government will not allow technology to be used to abuse or humiliate people through non-consensual sexual imagery.

Under current law, producing explicit deepfakes without consent is illegal under the Online Safety Act. The government says the new offence will ensure those who develop or profit from nudification apps face serious consequences.

Nudification apps use Generative AI to convincingly show a person as if they have had their clothes removed. Experts warn these tools can cause serious harm and may be used to produce child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

In April, England’s Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza urged a full ban on nudification apps, arguing the technology enabling such images should be banned too.

The government said it would work with tech firms to tackle intimate image abuse, continuing a collaboration with SafeToNet, a UK safety tech company that claims it can detect sexual content and even block cameras from capturing explicit imagery.

Platforms like Meta already employ filters to detect nudity in images, helping to prevent minors from sharing intimate material.

Advocates for children’s safety welcomed the plan. The Internet Watch Foundation’s chief executive, Kerry Smith, called nudification apps “unnecessary and dangerous,” noting that manipulated images can appear on the darkest areas of the internet.

While charities such as the NSPCC supported the step, they urged more comprehensive protections, including easier discovery and prevention of CSAM in private messages and other services.

The government also aims to ban AI tools designed to create or distribute CSAM and to make it harder for children to take, share, or view nude images on mobile devices.

Expert comment: Kerry Smith, chief executive of the Internet Watch Foundation, welcomed the proposed ban, noting the technology has no legitimate use. “These tools put real children at greater risk, and the images can circulate in the darkest corners of the internet,” she said.

Summary: The government is moving to criminalize nudification AI apps, expanding protections against non-consensual nude imagery. The plan involves partnerships with tech firms and safety groups, and aims to shield children from harmful content online. Critics call for broader device-level protections, but supporters say this is a necessary step for safer digital spaces.

Key takeaway: The government is moving to criminalize nudification AI apps to shield children and curb non-consensual nude imagery online. BBC

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