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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday asked tech companies operating in the UK to prevent children from taking, sending and receiving nude images. If they fail to do so, the UK will change the law, he said.
“I am calling on tech companies operating in this country to introduce device controls that prevent children from sending and receiving sexually explicit images,” Starmer said in a speech at London Tech Week. “This is not an impossible challenge. These are some of the most innovative companies in the world and I believe they can solve it, but if they choose not to, then we will act.”
The British government is asking tech companies, including Apple and Google, to put in place device-level controls to prevent nude images of children within the next three months. It wants the technology to be available across both new and existing phones.
“Google is deeply committed to protecting children online. We are working constructively with UK partners to find effective, privacy-preserving solutions that deter the spread of harmful content while ensuring a safe digital environment for young people,” said a Google spokesperson in an emailed statement.
A representative for Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Starmer is also mulling new rules that would ban social media for children under the age of 16, similar to the ban already in place in Australia, according to the Times.
Many children, especially teenagers, take, share and receive naked photos without their parents being aware. This behavior is illegal and also puts children at risk of blackmail, bullying, sexual harassment or child exploitation. The UK is the first country to demand that tech companies help keep children safe by preventing them from taking nude photos and circulating them online.
In a statement supporting Starmer’s announcement on device controls, the UK’s National Crime Agency said the restrictions have the potential to stop some of the most serious forms of online child sexual abuse before they begin.
“Many of the most serious cases begin with offenders coercing children into creating and sharing sexual images of themselves,” said Graeme Biggar, NCA director general. “Once those images exist, they can be used for blackmail, humiliation and repeated exploitation. Preventing children from taking, sharing or receiving nude images can stop abuse before it starts and so would be an important step forward.”
But not everyone welcomed Starmer’s comments. “Protecting children online is vital, but these are outrageous plans that will fail to address the underlying causes of online harm,” Silkie Carlo, director of rights group Big Brother Watch, said in a statement. “This will only result in population-wide ID checks for all of us to use our phones, tablets and laptops.”
Starmer’s request isn’t designed to prevent adults from taking and sending nudes. But just as with the UK’s Online Safety Act, which requires that many corners of the internet, including Reddit, verify the ages of people accessing their services, it’s entirely possible it could result in people having to prove their identity in order to use a device without a child lock.
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