Changes to the Online Safety Bill will make it easier to charge and convict people who share revenge porn images.

The amendments introduced today (27 June) mean that prosecutors will no longer have to prove that explicit images had been posted with the intent of causing distress, as they have done since the offence was criminalised in 2015.

The Ministry of Justice hopes that this change “will make it easier to charge and convict someone who shares intimate images without consent, putting more offenders behind bars and better protecting the public”.

Those who are found guilty of sharing revenge porn will face a maximum penalty of six months in prison. If the prosecution can prove that the accused did intend to “cause distress, alarm or humiliation, or to obtain sexual gratification”, they could face a two-year sentence.

The changes come after a campaign headed by reality star Georgia Harrison and MP Maria Miller, as well as a review by the Law Commission.

Harrison was the victim of revenge porn when her ex-boyfriend Stephen Bear shared a private recording of the couple on OnlyFans. Bear was later sentenced to 21 months in prison.

“The reforms to the law that have been passed today are going to go down in history as a turning point for generations to come and will bring peace of mind to so many victims who have reached out to me while also giving future victims the justice they deserve,” Harrison said.

Alex Chalk KC, the lord chancellor and secretary of state for justice, said that the changes were part of measures “cracking down on abusers who share or manipulate intimate photos in order to hound or humiliate women and girls”. 

“Our changes will give police and prosecutors the powers they need to bring these cowards to justice, safeguarding women and girls from such vile abuse,” he added.

The changes to the Online Safety Bill have also criminalised the sharing of deepfake intimate images.

Deepfakes are explicit photos which have been manipulated digitally to make them look like another person, which are typically shared maliciously and without that person’s consent.

Research has found that one in seven women and one in nine men in the UK aged between 18 and 34 have faced threats about sharing intimate images. 

Earlier this year, Refuge published research showing that charging rates are currently very low in intimate image abuse cases.

13,860 offences were recorded in total between 1 January 2019 and 31 July 2022 across 24 police forces in England and Wales, but the alleged offender was only charged or summoned to court in just 4% of those offences.

If you or someone you know is a victim of online abuse or revenge porn, contact the police to report a crime, visit Refuge or call their freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247. You can also find advice via their specially designed tech safety tool.

Images: Getty