United Kingdom: Ministry of Justice tabled amendments to Crime and Policing Bill to introduce new criminal offences and platform obligations

On 3 November 2025, the Ministry of Justice and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology tabled amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill in Parliament that would introduce new criminal offences and platform obligations concerning online content and intimate image abuse. The amendments would extend the time limit for prosecuting the offence of taking or sharing an intimate image without consent to three years from the date of the offence and also require that criminal proceedings be brought within six months of the prosecutor obtaining sufficient evidence to prosecute. The amendments would additionally criminalise the possession and publication of pornographic content depicting strangulation or suffocation, and designate depictions of strangulation as a priority offence under the Online Safety Act. Regulated online services would be required to prevent the publication and dissemination of such content using measures such as automated detection systems, moderation tools, and stricter content policies.