'Big tech must take responsibility for stopping nude images of minors being taken and shared'

'If no action within 3 months, we'll legislate — fines and criminal liability on the table'

Apple and Google logos. [Getty Images]
Apple and Google logos. [Getty Images]

The British government has pressed Apple, Google and other big tech companies to take responsibility for preventing the capture and online sharing of sexual images of minors.

According to the BBC and The Times, the UK is pushing to require tech companies to activate built-in features or adopt technical solutions on smartphones and tablets to detect and block nude images of minors.

Under the plan, adults aged 18 and over would be able to take, share and view nude images after completing an age-verification process.

The government said it would pursue legislation to enforce compliance if companies fail to act within 3 months. The measures could include financial penalties and, as a last resort, criminal liability for executives.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer, speaking at London Tech Week on Monday, called on technology companies operating in the country to introduce device-level controls to prevent the sending and receiving of sexual images of children. "For the world's most innovative technology companies, this will not be an impossible problem," he said.

"I believe they can solve it, but if they choose not to, we will respond and change the law," Starmer said. "When it comes to the safety of our children, doing nothing cannot be an option."

The government said the measures are intended to protect minors from being blackmailed by sexual predators and from having intimate images spread without their consent. Officials also said the move could help prevent children from accessing pornography online.

A Google spokesperson said the company was "working constructively with partners in the UK to find effective, privacy-preserving solutions to create safer digital environments for children and prevent the spread of harmful content," according to Reuters. Apple did not immediately respond.

The British government has been steadily increasing pressure on big tech to do more to protect minors, and is also considering banning children under 16 from social media — a step Australia has already taken. The Times reported that the Starmer government has settled on pursuing such a ban and plans to announce it soon.


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