Ofcom Strengthens Rules on Non-Consensual Intimate Images
UK communications regulator Ofcom has opened a new enforcement programme examining how online services are adopting technology designed to prevent the spread of known non-consensual intimate images (NCII), concerning all services covered by the Online Safety Act.
The programme forms part of Ofcom’s wider work to improve online safety for women and girls, who the regulator says are disproportionately affected by harms including intimate image abuse, cyberflashing, stalking, harassment and coercive behaviour.
Ofcom has formally issued amended codes introducing measures around “hash matching”, a technology that can identify known images without requiring platforms to directly view the underlying content. The measures come into effect on September 30, after which Ofcom says formal enforcement action under the programme can begin.
The regulator is working with StopNCII.org, which maintains a database used by platforms to identify known non-consensual intimate images. Ofcom and StopNCII.org have signed a memorandum of understanding covering information-sharing and cooperation around the technology’s adoption.
The development is relevant to dating services because intimate image abuse can occur both through the sharing of content between users and through the wider circulation of images uploaded elsewhere. Dating apps are also subject to Online Safety Act obligations covering illegal content and other specified harms.
Ofcom said its work will examine whether relevant services are implementing the new measures effectively, while also continuing broader engagement with platforms on safety-by-design. The regulator previously published guidance containing more than 60 examples of measures that services could adopt to improve women and girls’ online safety, beyond their minimum legal requirements.
Alongside the enforcement programme, Ofcom has opened a Call for Evidence seeking information about how women and girls’ experiences online have changed since its previous guidance was published in November 2025. Responses are due by 5pm on November 4, 2026, with findings expected in summer 2027.
The regulator is also preparing further policy work. It plans to consult by the end of 2026 on a new duty requiring services to remove non-consensual intimate images within 48 hours of being reported. The duty stems from the Crime and Policing Act 2026.
