United Kingdom: Announced amendment to Criminal Justice Bill criminalising creation of sexually explicit deepfakes

On 16 April 2024, an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill criminalising the creation of sexually explicit deepfakes without consent was announced by the Government. The Bill would make the creation of deepfake images a criminal offence, subjecting offenders to prosecution and an unlimited fine, with potential imprisonment if the images were distributed. Last year, reforms in the Online Safety Act criminalised the sharing of "deepfake" intimate images for the first time. The amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill will criminalise the creation of these sexually explicit deepfake images of adults without their consent.