PRESS RELEASE : Government cracks down on ‘deepfakes’ creation [April 2024]

The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 16 April 2024.

Despicable people who create sexually explicit ‘deepfakes’ will face prosecution under a new law announced by the government today (16 April 2024).

Under the new offence, those who create these horrific images without consent face a criminal record and an unlimited fine. If the image is then shared more widely offenders could be sent to jail.

The new law will mean that if someone creates a sexually explicit deepfake, even if they have no intent to share it but purely want to cause alarm, humiliation or distress to the victim, they will be committing a criminal offence.

It will also strengthen existing offences, as if a person both creates this kind of image and then shares it, the CPS could charge them with two offences, potentially leading to their sentence being increased.

Deepfake images have become more prevalent in recent years, with images being viewed millions of times a month across the world. The fake images and videos are made to look hyper-realistic with the victim usually unaware and unable to give their consent to being sexualised in such a way.

Today’s announcement is the latest step in a huge programme of work aimed at tackling this emerging and deeply distressing form of abuse against abuse towards women and girls.

Last year, reforms in the Online Safety Act criminalised the sharing of ‘deepfake’ intimate images for the first time. This new offence, which will be introduced through an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill, will mean anyone who makes these sexually explicit deepfake images of adults maliciously and without consent will face the consequences of their actions.

Minister for Victims and Safeguarding, Laura Farris, said:

The creation of deepfake sexual images is despicable and completely unacceptable irrespective of whether the image is shared.

It is another example of ways in which certain people seek to degrade and dehumanise others – especially women. And it has the capacity to cause catastrophic consequences if the material is shared more widely. This government will not tolerate it.

This new offence sends a crystal clear message that making this material is immoral, often misogynistic, and a crime.

This government has made it a priority to better protect women from physical, emotional and online abuse through changes to the law.

As part of the Criminal Justice Bill, which continues its passage through Parliament, the government is also creating a range of new criminal offences to punish those who take or record intimate images without consent – or install equipment to enable someone to do so.

These changes in the Criminal Justice Bill will build on the existing ‘upskirting’ offence, making it a criminal offence to

• intentionally take or record an intimate image or film without consent or a reasonable belief in consent
• take or record an intimate image or film without consent and
• with intent to cause alarm, distress or humiliation; or
• for the purpose of sexual gratification

The government has also re-classified violence against women and girls as a national threat, meaning the police must prioritise their response to it, just as they do with threats like terrorism – as well as ongoing work to tackle image-based abuse.

In March the first person was sentenced under the new Cyberflashing offence, which came into force in January via the Online Safety Act.

Nicholas Hawkes, who was 39 at the time of sentencing, sent images of his genitals to a 15-year-old girl and a woman, and received a sentence of more than a year in prison.

Cally Jane Beech, a campaigner and former Love Island contestant said:

This new offence is a huge step in further strengthening of the laws around deepfakes to better protect women.

What I endured went beyond embarrassment or inconvenience. Too many women continue to have their privacy, dignity, and identity compromised by malicious individuals in this way and it has to stop. People who do this need to be held accountable.

Deborah Joseph, European Editorial Director of GLAMOUR said:

GLAMOUR welcomes the Ministry of Justice’s plans to table an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill, which must put the safety of women online at the centre of this conversation.

In a recent GLAMOUR survey we found 91% of our readers believe deepfake technology poses a threat to the safety of women, and from hearing personal stories from victims, we also know how serious the impact can be.

While this is an important first step, there is still a long way to go before women will truly feel safe from this horrendous activity.

In 2022, the Sexual Offences Act 2003 was amended to extend voyeurism offences to cover non-consensual images of breastfeeding.

As part of wider government work to protect women and girls, cowards who kill their partners with sexual violence will face longer behind bars. A new statutory aggravating factor will be brought in for offenders who cause death through abusive, degrading or dangerous sexual behaviour – or so-called ‘rough sex’.

A new statutory aggravating factor for bitter former partners who murder at the end of a relationship is also in the Criminal Justice Bill, as part of reforms following recommendations made in Clare Wade KC’s Domestic Homicide Sentencing Review.

Notes to editors

• This offence will apply to images of adults. This is because the law already covers this behaviour where the image is of a child (under the age of 18).
• The Domestic Homicide Sentence Review was commissioned in 2021 to examine whether the sentencing framework should be reformed to better reflect the seriousness of domestic homicide and to identify options for improvements.
• The Murder Sentencing consultation ran for 14 weeks and closed on 4 March, 2024. A government response will be published in due course.