UK Close to Imposing Hash Matching for Revenge Porn

PM Starmer Calls Sexualized Deepfakes and Revenge Porn a 'National Emergency' David Meyer • February 19, 2026

The United Kingdom inched closer to requiring tech firms to scan all user-uploaded images, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer said sexualized deepfakes and so-called revenge porn constituted a "national emergency."

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Ofcom, enforcer of the Online Safety Act, said Wednesday that it would soon announce a decision on a proposed requirement for websites and apps to deploy "hash matching" technology to spot deepfakes and other intimate imagery that has been shared without consent.

The British communications regulator ran a consultation on the proposal last year, in which many responses warned of privacy risks. Ofcom was expected to unveil its decision in the coming fall, but has now ...