UK Government Imposes 48-Hour Deadline for Revenge Porn Removal, But Victims Call for Faster Action
In a significant move to combat violence against women and girls, the UK government has announced strict new regulations requiring technology companies to take down non-consensual intimate images, commonly known as revenge porn, within 48 hours. Failure to comply could result in fines of up to 10% of a company's revenue or even a ban from operating in the UK. For context, Meta alone reported revenue of £149 million in 2025, highlighting the potential financial impact.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has labeled violence against women and girls a national emergency, with this measure seen as a critical step forward. The End Violence Against Women Coalition has praised the initiative as welcome and powerful, noting that previously, victims faced indefinite delays and had to plead with platforms like Facebook and Instagram for removal.
Why 48 Hours Is Still Too Long, According to Survivors
Despite the progress, many victims and advocates question why the removal process should take two full days. They point to stricter international benchmarks: India recently mandated a three-hour takedown for some deepfake content, while the European Commission requires terrorist content to be removed within just one hour. This discrepancy raises concerns about the adequacy of the UK's timeline in addressing the immediate harm caused by such images.
Jodie, a survivor who experienced revenge porn in 2020 while at university, shared her harrowing story. She discovered fake sexually explicit images of herself on a chat forum, created using deepfake technology from her private Instagram photos. Any situation you can imagine, there were photos of it, she recalls, describing the ordeal as the single worst day of her life, filled with panic and dread over who might have seen the images.
A Campaign for Change and the Limits of Justice
Jodie's case led to a conviction, but not for the sexual images—instead, the perpetrator was found guilty of grossly offensive language, receiving a six-month suspended sentence, £100 compensation, community service, and court-mandated therapy. He was not placed on the sex offenders register, and the images resurfaced after the site relaunched under a new name. I had justice, but not the justice I felt I deserved, Jodie sighs, emphasizing the lingering fear that her images may still circulate online.
Since her experience, Jodie has campaigned tirelessly, gathering 73,000 signatures alongside groups like the End Violence Against Women Coalition and Revenge Porn Helpline. Her efforts have been instrumental in shaping the new legislation. However, she argues that tech firms have the capability to act more swiftly. I would love to see the time halved to 24 hours, because ultimately those images being online is where the harm lies, she explains, stressing that victims prioritize rapid removal over platform fines.
Broader Impact and Expert Perspectives
Georgia Harrison MBE, another survivor whose ex-partner shared a private video without consent, has welcomed the move, calling it a vital step forward in protecting women from intimate image abuse. She highlights the exhaustion victims face when forced to repeatedly fight for content removal and sees the regulations as a statement that tech companies are no longer above the law.
The new powers are set to be implemented by Ofcom by summer, but Jodie cautions that the devil will be in the details. She emphasizes the need for strict accountability to ensure the promise is not empty. Between 2017 and 2023, the MET Police recorded 6,483 cases of private sexual images disclosed with intent to cause distress, underscoring the scale of the issue.
As the UK takes this step, the debate continues over whether 48 hours is fast enough to mitigate the profound and lasting trauma inflicted by revenge porn, with survivors urging for even tighter deadlines to better safeguard victims' well-being.
