UK Safer Internet Centre and Revenge Porn Helpline Attend Parliament Event on NCII Abuse
On October 9th 2024, the UK Safer Internet Centre, SWGfL’s Revenge Porn Helpline, and PA Consulting hosted an event at Parliament to address non-consensual intimate image abuse (NCII). The event aimed to raise awareness of the pervasiveness of NCII, advocate for changes in the law to prevent the sharing and viewing of NCII content, and improve support for victims and survivors.
Expert Panel Discusses Key Challenges
A panel of experts, including Leigh Nichol, barrister Fran Ridout, Metropolitan Police’s Angela Craggs, Microsoft’s Courtney Gregoire, MP Sarah Owen, and Sophie Mortimer from the Revenge Porn Helpline, joined a room full of stakeholders to share their knowledge. The event highlighted the challenges of removing NCII online, particularly due to jurisdictional issues; many NCII images are hosted on websites outside the UK, in countries that allow this type of content or do nothing to stop it.
Gaps in the UK law were also highlighted, such as the Online Safety Act’s failure to make NCII content illegal or require reposted images to be removed, which has left individuals vulnerable to seeing their intimate images resurface.
Proposed Solutions to Combat NCII
The event proposed several solutions, including the creation of an NCII Register—a list of specific images and videos classified as illegal through a court process. The register would strengthen removal abilities and allow internet providers to block access. Additionally, the StopNCII.org database could be used to prevent registered content from being shared across participating social media and adult websites.
Preventing Offenders from Keeping NCII
The event also discussed closing a loophole that allows offenders to keep NCII. Proposed measures include confiscating and destroying devices containing illegal content and using court orders to ensure that all NCII related to a case is deleted from seized devices and cloud storage, preventing further harm to victims.
Importance of Legal Reforms and International Collaboration
The proposals discussed at the event represent a crucial step toward increasing protection and support for victims of NCII. With over 330,000 images already removed by the Revenge Porn Helpline, stronger legal measures and cross-jurisdictional collaboration are needed to address the remaining 10% of NCII effectively.
UK residents over 18 affected by intimate image abuse can contact the Revenge Porn Helpline at 0345 6000 459 or email help@revengepornhelpline.org.uk.