The Huffington Post

Experts Have *Thoughts* On PM's Warning To Big Tech Over Sexual Image Sharing

Prime minister Keir Starmer (left), online harms expert Catherine Knibbs (right) UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has given tech companies thee months to make changes so children can’t send and receive sexually explicit images. Speaking at London Tech Week, Starmer called on tech firms operating in the UK to “introduce device controls” that would prevent sexual images from being shared among children , adding that if they “choose not to, then we will act”. The announcement comes months after the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) warned child sexual extortion cases in the UK soared by 72% in the space of a year. Criminals are tricking young people into sending nude or sexual images of themselves which are then used to blackmail them. In 97% of cases, the victims are boys. More recently, it’s come to light that images of children shared on school websites and social media are also being altered using artificial intelligence (AI) to create child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Schools are then being blackmailed to pay up or the images are released publicly. What do experts and parents think of the PM’s announcement? Welcoming the announcement, NSPCC chief executive, Chris Sherwood, told ITV News : “Online grooming, sexual exploitation and the proliferation of child sexual abuse material could be prevented if tech companies did the right thing and introduced nudity blocking technology on children’s phones.” Clare Gilbert, who has a teenage daughter, said she thinks Starmer is “right to act”. “As parents we do what we can, but I am no match for a tech savvy teen. I can have chats with her about being safe online, try and set some boundaries, but teenagers are clever and will find ways around things,” she said. But the mum added the prime minister “needs to be tough” with tech giants who should be held to account – “and not just with idle threats that aren’t followed up on”. Dr Catherine Knibbs, CEO of Children & Tech , author and child trauma psychotherapist, said the move, which she welcomes, ought to have come “years ago”. The online harms expert is also dubious of how effective it will be: “I doubt that OS [operating system] level preventative deployment will work – as he spoke about – as intimate images are also shared via webcams, laptops and tablet systems that are separate to ‘only phones’. “For me, this shows a lack of depth of understanding of the technological landscape overall.” She concluded: “Children deserve a well thought out and actionable plan to protect them, not rushed political statements.” Similarly, Kemi Badenoch, leader of the opposition, branded the PM’s announcement “an idea without a proper plan behind it” and renewed calls for a social media ban for under-16s, which Starmer is also expected to make an announcement on this week. But there are some who believe it’s a positive move – and that it can be done. Bertie Aspinal, co-founder of online child safety app SafetyMode.com, which blocks inappropriate content (such as sexual images) across apps, messages and websites in real time, said the latest announcement “finally moves the conversation towards practical solutions rather than endless debate”. “For years we’ve been told that stopping children from sending, receiving or viewing explicit images is too difficult, too complex, or simply not possible,” he said. “The reality is that we already know the technology exists because we’ve built it ourselves . Our software can already block nude images being sent or received on a child’s device. “The question is no longer whether this can be done, but whether the biggest technology companies are willing to make child safety a priority.” He concluded that “what matters now is speed” and ended: “Every month spent consulting, discussing and delaying means more children are exposed to content that most parents would never knowingly allow.” ‘Nudification’ using AI tools also a problem in the UK As well as sextortion, there has also been a growing issue with ‘nudification’ in UK schools. Nudifying tools can ‘undress’ everyday images of people and turn them into pornography – a staggering 99% of nude deepfakes feature women and girls. Dr Knibbs previously told us that the cybertrauma that occurs from this can result in issues such as suicide ideation, paranoia and destruction of trust among victims. She added that the fear that results from this taking place “has the potential to last a lifetime”. Use of these apps is widespread. A survey by Male Allies UK of 1,018 boys aged 12 to 16 years old found just under half (47%) knew of sexual AI images or videos being created whilst at school, and two-thirds (67%) said they’d seen sexualised images being shared around school. Carole Osborne, a mum to two teenage girls and founder and CEO of AI safeguarding platform Aidos , told HuffPost UK the prime minister’s announcement has “been a long time coming”, but suggested it’s a “sticking plaster” in the grand scheme of things. She said “device controls that prevent children from sending and receiving explicit images, while welcome, are treating the symptom rather than the cause”. Osborne called for a “fundamental shift” in how we think about child protection in the digital age – “investing in AI and technology for good, building safeguarding in at the point of creation ... and working together across government, big tech, schools and parents to prevent these images from ever being made in the first place”. She concluded: “The problem must be solved at source; everything else is just a sticking plaster.” Related... Parents Urged To Speak To Schools About Getting Kids' Images Removed Online Kids Calling Girls 'Foids' At School? You Need To Pull Them Up On It Nudifying Apps Are A Parent's Worst Nightmare. Experts Want Them Banned Immediately

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