‘Dangerous’ online pornography featuring choking to be banned
Online pornography depicting women being strangled will be banned after a review found such images were common and helped establish the act as a sexual norm.
The possession and publication of images depicting strangulation and suffocation will be criminalized as part of a crackdown on violent pornography, the government has confirmed.
While nonfatal asphyxiation is already a crime, online depictions of it are not currently illegal.
This legislative action follows Tory Baroness Bertin’s warning earlier this year of a “total lack of government oversight” of the pornography industry.
Its independent review, published in February, cited worrying anecdotal evidence from teachers that students were asking how to strangle girls during sex.
Baroness Bertin has warned that people who stifle their sex lives “could face devastating consequences”.
Changes to the Crime and Policing Bill, which will be tabled for further consideration in the House of Lords next week, were approved by the government on Monday.
The Ministry of Justice said that in addition to making strangulation or suffocation through pornography illegal, it would also task online platforms to stop the spread of such images.
Another change will extend the time limit for victims of intimate image exploitation, including “revenge porn”, to come forward to report such crimes.
Currently victims have six months to do this, but the Government wants to extend this period to three years.
The change will mean that offenders who take or share an intimate image without consent can be prosecuted at any time within three years after the crime was committed and six months after the prosecutor has sufficient evidence to bring charges, the ministry said.
Victims minister Alex Davies-Jones said the Government “will not stand by and watch women be abused online and fall victim to violent pornography that is allowed to normalize harm”.
He added: “We are sending a strong message that dangerous and sexist behavior will not be tolerated.”
Technology Minister Liz Kendall said of choking pornography: “Viewing and sharing such material online is not only deeply distressing, it is also despicable and dangerous. Those who post or promote such content are contributing to a culture of violence and abuse that has no place in our society.”
“We are also holding tech companies accountable and ensuring they stop this content from being spread. We are committed to ensuring women and girls can access the internet without fear of violence or exploitation.”
Bernie Ryan, chief executive of the Anti-Drowning Institute, welcomed the proposed ban and said the “serious risks posed by unregulated online content, particularly to children and young people”, needed to be recognised.
He added: “Smothering is a serious form of violence in domestic abuse often used to control, silence or intimidate.
“When depicted in pornography, especially without context, it can send confusing and harmful messages to young people about what is normal or acceptable in intimate relationships. Our research shows there is no safe way to smother.”
The government said that if the changes are passed, the possession or publication of strangulation or pornographic content will become a priority offense under the Online Safety Act.
Tech companies will be required to take legally necessary steps to prevent such violent content from reaching internet users, rather than simply waiting for it to be reported.
The government has suggested this could be done through moderation tools, stricter content policies or automated systems used to detect and hide images.
The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) welcomed the planned changes but said they should “mark the start of wider reform to ensure parity between online and offline content standards”.
CEO David Austin said: “Harmful depictions of non-consensual, violent and abusive activity continue to be readily accessible to users in the UK.”
The BBFC said it was ready to take on “the official role of policing online pornography”, which would be “a natural extension of the role we have been carrying out offline for decades”.
