The UK government, on Sunday, March 13, classified cyberflashing as a criminal offence, prohibiting sending of unsolicited nudes to strangers online. According to a press release published by the UK Ministry of Justice, perpetrators of such offences will face up to two years in jail under the new Online Safety Bill introduced by the government, alongside other reforms made to keep citizens safe on the internet.
Cyberflashing offence entails sending unconsented obscene images or video clips to strangers online via dating apps and social media platforms or even through data sharing services, including Airdrop and Bluetooth.
Why Is the Cyberflashing Offence Bill Needed?
Classifying cyberflashing a criminal offence will ensure it’s captured within the scope of criminal law, giving law enforcement units such as the Crown Prosecution Service and the police the ability to take more perpetrators of such vile acts to justice.
The new bill will reinforce similar recent actions by the government in outlawing breastfeeding voyeurism and upskirting to protect girls and women from such emerging crimes committed over the internet and other data communication networks.
The bill targeting online offenders came after research published in 2020 by Professor Jessica Ringrose revealed that more than two-thirds of teenage girls aged 12-18 were sent unconsented nudes of boys and men.
“Protecting women and girls is my top priority which is why we’re keeping sexual and violent offenders behind bars for longer, giving domestic abuse victims more time to report assaults and boosting funding for support services to £185m per year,” said Dominic Raab, Deputy Prime Minister, and Secretary of State for Justice.
Rahab also added that making cyberflashing a criminal offence is the latest step aiming to send a clear message to offenders that they may face a jail term. The new cyber offence bill follows the Law Commission review dubbed ‘Modernising Communications Offences,’ which proposed new offences to be created to protect people online.
A revised version of the Online Safety Bill expected to be published soon will include a number of new offences, including the controversial ‘cyberflashing.’ The UK government has created three other new offences alongside cyberflashing to tackle a wide range of toxic private, public communication online.
Cyberflashing Offense and Consequences
According to the revised version of the bill, any person who sends a film or a photo of someone’s genitals to cause victim humiliation, distress, alarm, or self-sexual gratification may be liable for a cyberflashing offence. The offender may be sentenced to two years imprisonment.
The new bill will also tackle offences caused by sending abusive social media posts, WhatsApp messages, abusive emails, and ‘pile-on’ harassment, where many offenders target their victims on websites.
“The forthcoming Online Safety Bill will force tech companies to stop their platforms being used to commit vile acts of cyberflashing. We are bringing the full weight on individuals who perpetrate this awful behaviour,” said UK’s Digital Secretary, Nadine Dorries.
The Online Safety Bill will, which will be applicable in England and Wales, is expected to lay more responsibilities on search engines, social media platforms, and other apps or websites hosting user-generated content to curb harmful and illegal use of the content on their platforms.
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