Source · Select Committees · Women and Equalities Committee
Recommendation 26
26
Rejected
Ofcom's proposals should require companies to accept non-consensual intimate image hash matching.
Recommendation
It is clear that some companies require further persuasion to accept NCII hashes. We welcome Ofcom’s plans to launch a consultation in spring 2025 on expansions to its Codes of Practice that would include proposals on the use of hash matching technology to prevent the sharing of NCII. We are clear in our view that those proposals should include requiring companies to accept the hash matching technology to prevent NCII on their services. (Conclusion, Paragraph 126) 56
Government Response Summary
The government rejects the recommendation, stating it cannot accept it on behalf of Ofcom, which is an independent regulator for Online Safety Act duties. It notes Ofcom's draft guidance already recommends hash matching and other measures for preventing NCII.
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
Government response: Reject (on basis for Ofcom) The Government agrees it is vital that online services take effective steps to tackle intimate image abuse. However, Ofcom is the independent regulator for the Online Safety Act duties, including the illegal content duties. It decides the steps that are recommended for providers to take to fulfil their duties. The Government is not able to accept this recommendation on its behalf. The Online Safety Act places new duties on online user-to-user platforms and search services to protect their users from harm. As part of this, the Act gives service providers new illegal content duties. Under these duties, providers need to have proportionate systems in place to take down illegal content. This includes illegal intimate image abuse content. Ofcom has published its codes of practice and guidance setting out how providers can fulfil these duties. These includes extensive guidance on when intimate image abuse content meets the threshold for removal. Ofcom has set out that they will also launch a new consultation on further measures to be added to the codes of practice, including automated content moderation and hash-matching for intimate image abuse. The OSA also requires Ofcom to publish guidance about protecting women and girls online, which they published in draft for consultation on 25 February. Following the consultation, Ofcom intends to publish the final guidance by the end of this year. This draft guidance contains best practice recommendations including for the use of hash matching to prevent uploads of known NCII abuse, as well as implementing input and output filters for GenAI models. The guidance also recommends removing links to sites dedicated to hosting non-consensual images, or to services such as ‘nudification’ apps used to generate non-consensual intimate content, and the ability to scan for duplicates. Ofcom has been clear that they are prepared to highlight platforms who are not doing enough to protect women and girls and have publicly stated that they will be “publishing reports naming and shaming which companies are following the rules and which are not taking women’s safety seriously”.