BTOn October 9th, 2024, we joined the UK Safer Internet Centre and PA Consulting at an event in Parliament to address non-consensual intimate image abuse (NCII). The purpose of the event was to raise awareness of the scale of NCII, advocate for necessary changes in the law to prevent its distribution and viewing, and enhance support for victims and survivors.
The event featured a panel of experts and campaigners sharing their knowledge, including Leigh Nichol, a survivor of NCII abuse; Fran Ridout, a criminal barrister from Queen Mary University London; Angela Craggs from the Metropolitan Police's Violence Against Women and Girls unit; Courtney Gregoire, Microsoft's Head of Global Digital Safety; Sarah Owen MP, Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee; and Sophie Mortimer, Manager of the Revenge Porn Helpline.
The Challenges of Combating NCII
The event looked at the key challenges around removing NCII online, with the Revenge Porn Helpline highlighting that around 30,000 reported non-consensual intimate images remain online due to issues with laws and international boundaries.
Looking at how the remaining NCII content can be removed, jurisdictional issues were highlighted as a significant limitation due to many NCII images being hosted on websites outside the UK, in countries that allow this type of content or do nothing to stop it. Due to these websites being beyond the legal reach of the UK, it becomes significantly harder to remove NCII.
In addition, gaps in UK law were also reported as a significant barrier. The event highlighted that whilst the Online Safety Act aims to tackle the sharing of intimate images without consent, it doesn’t go far enough due to the current law not making the images themselves illegal. Additionally, the Online Safety Act doesn’t require perpetrators to have their devices taken away, causing those affected by intimate image abuse to be at risk of seeing their images resurface.
Proposed Solutions to Tackle NCII
The event highlighted a plan to create an NCII Register, a list of specific images and videos that are classified as illegal through a court process, which would strengthen removal abilities and allow internet providers to block access to content, ensuring victims are better protected.
It was also suggested that the StopNCII.org database could also be utilised to ensure any registered content would be hashed and prevented from being shared across participating social media and adult content websites.
Preventing Offenders from Keeping NCII
Discussions were also held around how a current loophole that enables offenders to keep NCII needs to be closed to ensure victims are better protected, and several measures were suggested to prevent offenders from storing NCII content.
Potential measures included permanent confiscation and destruction of devices containing NCII to prevent further harm. Alongside this, to prevent offenders from accessing or sharing content again, court orders could be used to ensure all NCII related to a case would be deleted across seized devices and alternatives such as cloud storage.
Why These Changes Matter
The proposals discussed at this Parliamentary event represent a significant step towards improving legal protections and support for victims of non-consensual intimate image abuse. With over 330,000 images already removed by the Revenge Porn Helpline, we emphasised the urgent need for stronger legal frameworks and international cooperation to address the remaining NCII cases.
If you or someone you know has been affected by intimate image abuse, and you are an adult over 18 living in the UK, you can contact our Helpline at 0345 6000 459 or via email at help@revengepornhelpline.org.uk.
