UK to force Apple and Google to block explicit images on children’s smartphones
Lisa Nandy says government will introduce legislation after talks end without breakthrough Apple and Google will be forced to block explicit images on children’s smartphones by law in the UK after talks failed to produce a breakthrough, the government has said. The legislation commitment puts ministers on a collision course with two of the biggest players in Silicon Valley, months after the…
The UK government has announced that it will introduce legislation to force Apple and Google to block explicit images on children's smartphones. This move comes after talks with the tech giants failed to produce a breakthrough by a three-month deadline. The government's digital secretary, Lisa Nandy, stated that the legislation aims to prevent under-18s from taking, sharing, or viewing nude images on their devices.
The tech companies may still reach an agreement, but Nandy emphasized that groundbreaking legislation would likely be necessary. The prime minister, Andy Burnham, assured that the protections would be built into the devices and switched on by default. The government also wants the restrictions to apply to apps used by children, which would require additional legislation.
The initiative follows the government's announcement of a social media ban for under-16s. Critics, including Labour MP Jess Phillips, have warned that the legislation could help prevent the creation of self-generated child sexual abuse material. Hannah Swirsky, head of policy at the Internet Watch Foundation, welcomed the government's decisive action to keep children safe.
Written by urgent.news from Guardian Technology's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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