United Kingdom’s online safety watchdog, Ofcom, has warned tech firms they only have weeks left to put in place measures to stop illegal intimate images and deepfakes from spreading on their platforms.

Yesterday the communications regulator said it was opening an enforcement programme to monitor efforts to crack down on the spread of such images.

By September 30, online platforms should have automated technology in place known as ‘hash matching’ to detect and prevent the sharing of illegal intimate images, including explicit AI-generated deepfakes, Ofcom said in a statement yesterday.

If they don’t have hash matching in place, Ofcom stressed, they must prove that their systems and processes curb the spread of NCII or non-consensual intimate images by other equally effective means.

Any firm that fails to comply with their legal duties could face significant penalties, including fines of up to 10 percent of their global annual revenue, it warned.

The spread of NCII is just one example of the significant harms that women and girls continue to face online. Evidence shows they are disproportionately subject to attacks and abuse, in some cases preventing them from pursuing jobs they love or having their voice heard online.

Ofcom said it was determined to drive lasting improvements in how tech firms prevent and respond to this abuse, and tackling this issue is a top priority.

Ofcom has partnered with SWGfL, an industry-leading organisation behind hash matching database StopNCII.org and the Revenge Porn Helpline to conduct this work.

Separately, by the end of this year, Ofcom will consult on strengthening its Illegal Harms Codes of Practice to reflect changes to the law requiring platforms to remove non-consensual intimate image content within 48 hours of it being reported.