Ofcom has said platforms should use hash-matching technology to detect and limit the spread of illegal intimate images online, including explicit deepfakes, under strengthened Illegal Content Codes due in autumn 2026.
Ofcom has said platforms should use detection technology to help stop the spread of illegal intimate images online, including explicit deepfakes, in a strengthened set of Illegal Content Codes.
The regulator said on Monday, May 18, that it is adding a recommendation for certain services to use hash-matching technology to identify and limit reuploads of abusive images. Ofcom said the approach should use a hash database that is equivalent to or better than StopNCII.org.
The move is aimed at reducing the circulation of non-consensual intimate imagery, a category that has become more difficult to police as AI tools make it easier to generate realistic fake sexual images.
Ofcom said the intimate image abuse amendments are expected to come into force in autumn 2026, once the parliamentary process is complete.
Reuters reported the same announcement on the day it was made, and ITV News said survivors and campaigners argued the measures still do not go far enough.
The announcement adds a new technical recommendation to Ofcom's online safety regime, but it is still subject to the final legislative process before taking effect.
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