UK reinforces online safety by classifying cyber flashing as a priority offence

In the United Kingdom, cyber flashing — the act of sending unsolicited explicit images to others — has officially been upgraded to a ‘priority offence’ under the Online Safety Act. Although this type of online harassment was already illegal since 2024, the new classification means online platforms must now adopt proactive measures to detect, prevent, and remove such content. Companies that fail to comply risk fines of up to 10% of their global revenue or £18 million, whichever is higher, as enforced by Ofcom, the national communications regulator.

Kanishka Narayan, the UK’s Minister for AI and Online Safety, explained that this update places greater responsibility on technology and social media companies to incorporate protective tools into their systems. Platforms like dating and social networks are now required to assess the risk of cyber flashing, build safeguards into their design, and actively prevent instances before they occur. Bumble, one of the first dating apps to introduce AI-based filters for lewd images, reports that its model can identify explicit content with approximately 98% accuracy.

Despite technological progress, legal experts such as Professor Clare McGlynn from Durham University remain cautious. She welcomed the move but questioned whether enforcement by Ofcom will be adequate, citing that similar priority offences like rape pornography and non-consensual intimate imagery remain prevalent online. The government hopes this stronger legal stance will pressure tech platforms to enhance user protection, especially for women and girls, who remain the most frequent victims of cyber flashing.