British communications regulator Ofcom announced yesterday it was strengthening its Illegal Content Codes by introducing a new recommendation that tech firms use automated detection technology to reduce the spread of illegal intimate images online.

“Given the urgent need to better protect women and girls online, we are now adding a recommendation to our codes that certain  sites and apps  expand their use of automated technology — known as ‘hash matching’ — to detect illegal intimate images shared without consent, such as explicit deepfakes,” the regulator said in a statement.

Hash matching technology works by first converting harmful images into digital fingerprints or ‘hashes’. These are then stored in a database and matched against further attempts to upload the same or similar versions of the image.

“We are recommending that services use a hash database such as the market leader StopNCII.org, ” it said.

The regulator said it considers this additional safety measure — together with new legislation, which introduced a ban of nudification tools  and requirements for non-consensual intimate images to be taken down within 48 hours — will make a material difference in  protecting women and girls online.

“Subject to the Parliamentary process, we expect the intimate image abuse amendments to our Illegal Content Codes to come into force in Autumn 2026,” it added, “Our decisions on further additional safety measures, as proposed in an earlier consultation, will also be announced around that time.

The earlier consultation had observed that tackling harms at source was always a better approach. So the providers, ofcom had said, need to make effective use of technology to make their sites and apps safer by design and prevent illegal material from reaching users. They should use a technique called hash matching to detect terrorism content and intimate images that are shared without consent, such as explicit deepfakes.

Live-streaming has many benefits – for gaming, showcasing talents, citizen-journalism or sharing real-world experiences. However, children risk being groomed, coerced into performing sexual acts, or encouraged into acts of self-harm and suicide while livestreaming – this must change.

“We are proposing that sites and apps should prevent people from posting comments or reactions or sending gifts to children’s livestreams, and they should prevent people from recording children’s livestreams,” Ofcom had said.