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The Government is to introduce legislation requiring technology companies to remove non-consensual intimate images (NCII), including deepfakes, within 48 hours of being notified: a move welcomed by domestic abuse charity Refuge as a “long-overdue step forward”.
The announcement follows mounting concern about the scale of technology-facilitated abuse. Refuge, which operates a specialist Technology-Facilitated Abuse and Economic Empowerment team, reported a 62% increase in referrals in 2025 compared with the previous year, reflecting what it describes as a sharp rise in intimate image abuse and related online harms.
Emma Pickering, Head of the Technology-Facilitated Abuse and Economic Empowerment team at Refuge, said the Government’s recognition of intimate image abuse as a “national emergency”, coupled with a statutory 48-hour takedown requirement, marked a significant shift from reliance on voluntary platform action.
Survivors frequently encounter delays and inconsistent responses when seeking removal of intimate images, with content often remaining online for days or weeks. Such delays can exacerbate psychological harm and heighten ongoing risk, particularly in the context of domestic abuse and post-separation coercive control. Practitioners in both family and criminal jurisdictions have increasingly reported the use of intimate image abuse as a tool of intimidation, humiliation and financial control.
Under the proposed framework, companies that fail to comply with the 48-hour deadline could face enforcement measures, including fines and potential service restrictions. Refuge has called for robust enforcement, arguing that without meaningful sanctions the requirement risks becoming symbolic rather than protective.
The reforms are expected to sit alongside regulatory oversight by Ofcom, which is conducting an expedited review into whether platforms should be required to expand their use of proactive detection tools, such as hash-matching technology. Such tools enable previously identified intimate images to be automatically detected and blocked from re-upload, limiting repeated circulation.
Refuge has also urged the Government to strengthen the regulatory architecture further by converting Ofcom’s existing Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Guidance into a legally enforceable Code of Practice, thereby imposing binding compliance obligations on platforms.
For family law professionals, the development is likely to be particularly relevant in cases involving domestic abuse, coercive control and child arrangements disputes where intimate image abuse forms part of a broader pattern of behaviour. A statutory removal duty may provide a clearer framework for advising clients, as well as potential evidential implications in proceedings where ongoing online harm is in issue.
Further detail on the draft legislation and enforcement mechanisms is expected in due course.
