The Online Safety Act 2023 imposes a legal duty of care on social media platforms, search engines, and AI services operating in the UK to prevent and remove illegal content, including non-consensual intimate imagery and deepfakes. Sharing or threatening to share intimate deepfakes is a priority offence under the Act, requiring platforms to take proactive prevention measures rather than relying on reactive takedown.

• User-to-user services, search services, and AI services with UK users, regardless of where they are based
• Illegal content including intimate image abuse, child sexual abuse material, and threats
• Synthetic intimate imagery and deepfakes that “appear to show” a person, even when entirely fabricated

• Platforms must conduct risk assessments, prevent priority illegal content from appearing, and remove flagged content swiftly
• Ofcom enforcement; fines up to £18M or 10% of global qualifying revenue, whichever is higher
• Court-ordered service blocking available for severe non-compliance
• Ofcom opened a formal investigation into X in January 2026 over Grok-generated NCII