- Review to explore regulation, legislation and enforcement of
pornography industry
- promptly addresses calls to tackle exploitative, abusive and
illegal content online
- builds on Online Safety Bill measures to protect children
online and protect all users from illegal content
Regulation of online pornography in the UK will undergo a
thorough review to make sure it is fit for purpose in tackling
exploitation and abuse, the government has announced today
(Monday 3 July).
As the way we consume media and access content rapidly changes,
the Review will investigate any gaps in UK regulation which
allows exploitation and abuse to take place online as well as
identifying barriers to enforcing criminal law. While the
criminal law has been updated in recent years to tackle the
presence of extreme and revenge pornography, there are currently
different regimes that address the publication and distribution
of commercial pornographic material offline, such as videos, and
online. The government wants to ensure any pornography
legislation and regulation operates consistently for all
pornographic content.
The review will also look at how effective the criminal justice
system and law enforcement agencies are in responding to illegal
pornographic content, including considering if any changes need
to be made to criminal law to address challenges law enforcement
might have.
It will also consider what more can be done to provide children
with information and resources about the harm caused by
pornography. This will make sure that illegal and harmful
content, such as that which features child sexual abuse and
exploitation, or where adults are being exploited, is robustly
dealt with.
The Pornography Review is a prompt response to calls for action
from parliamentarians and campaign groups concerned with the
prevalence and impact on both children and adults of illegal
pornographic content and child sexual exploitation and abuse on
pornography sites and social media.
This work is separate to, but builds on, the Online Safety Bill,
which will hold social media companies and pornography services
accountable for ensuring children cannot view pornography, with a
new higher standard on the age verification or age estimation
tools they must use.
Technology Minister, , said:
Keeping the public safe is the first priority of any government
and with technology moving faster than ever, we cannot take our
eye off the ball in exploring what more we can do.
Our Pornography Review will look closely at the laws and
regulations relating to offline and online content, informing our
next steps in tackling the heinous crimes of exploitation and
abuse, wherever it occurs.
Justice Minister, , said:
It is vital we keep up with the pace of the online world and this
review will help ensure our laws work to protect people online
while punishing those who share illegal and harmful content.
The Review will seek expertise across government and significant
engagement with the Crown Prosecution Service and police,
industry, civil society stakeholders and regulators.
The review will also look at the role of the pornography industry
in trafficking and exploiting adult performers, child sexual
exploitation and abuse, and how extreme and non-consensual
pornographic content online is dealt with.
There are currently several criminal offences, linked to
legislation such as the Obscene Publications Act 1959 and the
‘extreme porn’ offence at s63 of the Criminal Justice and
Immigration Act 2008, which can be committed in relation to
all pornographic material, whether offline or online. Some
pornographic material is covered by communications offences and
offences which deal with publicly displayed material in shops and
other premises.
Separately, there is a very robust regime of offences tackling
the possession, taking and making of indecent images of children,
whether they are photographs / films, or non-photographic.
There are also different regulatory regimes, including that
established by the Video Recordings Act 1984, which address the
publication and distribution of commercial pornographic material
offline, and the video-sharing platform regime that
addresses some online pornography.
Notes to editors
The Review will involve a range of government departments,
including the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology,
Ministry of Justice, the Home Office and the Department for
Culture, Media and Sport.
Further scope of the Review will be set out in due course.
The Review is aiming to be completed within a year.
