The UK plans to introduce legislation that would require Apple and Google to “stop children from taking, sharing or viewing nude images on their phones and tablets,” reports Bloomberg (a subscription is required to read the article).
Here’s a statement from Lisa Nandy, Secretary of State for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, about the legislation: In December of last year, the government published its Action Plan to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls, and I’d like to put on record my gratitude to the hon. Member of Leicester West, who I think is here today, and to the hon. Member for Birmingham Yardley for their clear ambition and determination that the UK would become the first country in the world where it would be impossible for children to take, share, or view nudity online.
In June, the government challenged industry – on a three-month timeline – to work with us and set out roadmaps for how they would strengthen device-level protections for children, with a view to preventing children from taking, sharing or viewing nude images on phones and tablets.
Today, I can update the House on the progress that has been made, and the next steps that this government will take to protect children.
Since June, officials from my department and the Home Office have overseen an unprecedented work programme with Apple and Google, working with senior leaders and engineers to explore new ways of preventing child sexual abuse and strengthening protections for children online.
I can report that – following this engagement – Apple and Google have provided the government with significant commitments.
Both companies have developed meaningful changes at the operating-level to make it harder for children to share nude imagery, we have seen progress in the blocking – not blurring – of nude imagery on underage devices, and this builds on significant milestones already in implementation – Apple’s recent rollout earlier this year of operating-system level age assurance tied to safety features, preventing a child from receiving or sharing nude imagery on iMessage or Facetime.
These proposals are a step in the right direction. However, the truth is, Madame Deputy Speaker, they do not meet the scale of this crisis.
Children are facing unacceptable levels of sexual harm online. They are being groomed, coerced, and manipulated into creating and sharing intimate images across online services.
The Internet Watch Foundation believes that 91% of these images are self-generated by children themselves. They are used for blackmail and sexual extortion.
Each year, around 9,000 child sexual abuse offences involve an online element, with under 18s the subject of almost a quarter of online blackmail.
In a statement to Bloomberg, Apple said that it shares “the UK’s commitment to combating exploitation and abuse online, and have shared with UK officials future plans to strengthen Communication Safety and other tools even further to help keep kids safe.”
Apple also said that it introduced a Communication Safety feature in 2021. It’s a parental control feature that detects sensitive photos and videos containing nudity or violence before a child can view or send them Apple said it now includes support for third-party apps.
How It Works
- Blurs Content: Automatically blurs sensitive photos or videos in supported apps.
- Displays Warnings: Warns the child and offers age-appropriate resources or ways to get help.
- On-Device Scanning: Uses on-device machine learning to analyze images and video frames, keeping personal data private.
- Supported Apps: Works across Messages, FaceTime, AirDrop, Contact Posters, Shared Photo Albums, and third-party apps.
How to Turn It On or Off
- Open Screen Time settings on your device (via Settings on iPhone/iPad or System Settings on Mac).
- Scroll down and select your child.
- Tap or click Communication Safety.
- Turn the feature on or off (you may need to enter a Screen Time passcode)
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