United Kingdom: Announced Pornography review to tackle exploitative and abusive content online

On 3 July 2023, the UK announced the launch of a pornography review into existing regulations to ensure their effectiveness in addressing exploitation and abuse. The review will examine gaps in UK legislation that enable abuse and hinder law enforcement. It will focus on the criminal justice system with its law enforcement agencies and assess its responsiveness to illegal pornographic content. The initiative was prompted by parliamentarians and campaign groups concerned about the prevalence and impact of illegal pornographic content and the exploitation of children online. The review is separate from the Online Safety Act, but builds on it. The review will be conducted in collaboration with various stakeholders, including law enforcement, industry, civil society and regulators. The Ministry of Science, Innovation and Technology, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Culture, Media and Sport, among others, will be involved in the review, which is supposed to be completed within one year.