Children will be protected from the growing threat of predators generating AI images and from online sexual abuse as the UK becomes the first country in the world to create new AI sexual abuse offences.
AI tools are being used to generate child sexual abuse images in a number of sickening ways including by “nudeifying” real life images of children or by stitching the faces of other children onto existing child sexual abuse images. The real-life voices of children are also often used in this sickening material, meaning innocent survivors of traumatic abuse are being re-victimised.
Perpetrators are also using those fake images to blackmail children and force victims into further horrific abuse including streaming live images. AI tools are being used to help perpetrators disguise their initial identity and more effectively groom and abuse children online.
To better protect children against this sickening abuse the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has on 2 February revealed the UK will be the first country in the world to:
· make it illegal to possess, create or distribute AI tools designed to generate CSAM, punishable by up to 5 years in prison
· make it illegal for anyone to possess AI “paedophile manuals” which teach people how to use AI to sexually abuse children, punishable by up to 3 years in prison
At the same time, the Home Office will:
· introduce a specific offence for predators who run websites designed for other paedophiles to share vile child sexual abuse content or advice on how to groom children, punishable by up to 10 years in prison
· give Border Force the necessary powers to keep the UK safe and prevent the distribution of CSAM which is often filmed abroad by allowing officers to compel an individual who they reasonably suspect poses a sexual risk to children to unlock their digital devices for inspection. Punishable by up to 3 years in prison, depending on the severity
All 4 measures will be introduced as part of the Crime and Policing Bill when it comes to Parliament. The bill will support the delivery of the government’s safer streets mission to halve knife crime and violence against women and girls in a decade and increase confidence in policing and the wider criminal justice system to its highest levels.
The increased availability of AI CSEA imagery not only poses a real risk to the public by normalising sexual violence against children, but it can lead those who view and create it to go on to offend in real life.
Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, said: We know that sick predators’ activities online often lead to them carrying out the most horrific abuse in person. This government will not hesitate to act to ensure the safety of children online by ensuring our laws keep pace with the latest threats.
These 4 new laws are bold measures designed to keep our children safe online as technologies evolve. It is vital that we tackle child sexual abuse online as well as offline so we can better protect the public from new and emerging crimes as part of our plan for change.
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