People who share intimate images without the consent of those depicted could face jail time after calls from campaigners for a crackdown on so-called revenge porn.
Laws introduced on Tuesday will remove the requirement for prosecutors to prove perpetrators intended to cause distress by disclosing such material in order to secure a conviction.
Amendments to the Online Safety Bill will make the sharing of intimate images without consent a base offence with a maximum penalty of six months’ imprisonment, the Ministry of Justice said.
Revenge porn was criminalised in 2015 but before now prosecutors had to prove there was an intention to cause humiliation or distress.
TV personality Georgia Harrison, whose ex-partner Stephen Bear was jailed earlier this year for posting intimate footage of her on his OnlyFans account, was among those to call for a change to legislation.
It follows a review by the Law Commission which also recommended reforming measures protecting against intimate image abuse.
Harrison said: “The reforms to the law that has 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 whilst also giving future victim’s the justice they deserve.
“I’m so grateful to everyone who supported me throughout this campaign and it just goes to show how amazing our country is that the Government have reacted so quickly to push through these amendments.”
Justice Secretary Alex Chalk said: “We are 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.”
The legislative changes will also deliver on Government plans announced last year to ban the sharing of deepfake pornography – explicit images or videos that have been digitally manipulated to look like someone else – without the consent of those depicted.
Domestic Abuse Commissioner Nicole Jacobs said: “Intimate image abuse causes significant distress to victims and survivors and often exists as part of a wider pattern of abuse that continues offline.
“I am pleased to see these changes in the Online Safety Bill that will hold perpetrators to account for this insidious form of abuse and hope to see it pass soon.”
Ruth Davison, Refuge chief executive, welcomed the amendments amid “woefully low” conviction rates for intimate image abuse.
She said: “At Refuge, we know that conviction rates for intimate image abuse remain woefully low. The amendments to the Online Safety Bill announced today will make it easier to prosecute perpetrators of intimate image abuse, ensuring justice and better protections for survivors.”
The NSPCC, which has argued tougher measures should be added to the Bill to protect women and children from harmful behaviour online, said “more needs to be done”.
Rani Govender, senior child safety online policy officer at the charity, welcomed the move to bolster protection against intimate image abuse, but added: “More needs to be done if the Online Safety Bill is to tackle the creation and sharing of child sexual abuse material which takes place on industrial levels.
“The Government should act today by closing a loophole in the legislation that will let tech bosses off the hook if they fail to address the way their products contribute to child sexual abuse.”
