UK’s Starmer gives Apple, Google 3 months to stop children sending nude images

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has issued a three-month ultimatum to Apple and Google, demanding they prevent children from taking, sharing, or viewing nude images on their smartphones. The UK government is urging these tech giants to utilize or develop technological solutions on phones and tablets to detect and block such content. This initiative would require adults to verify their age to access or create nude images. Failure to implement these changes could result in new legislation, including potential fines and, in extreme cases, criminal liability for tech executives. These measures are intended to apply to both existing and new devices sold in the UK.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has given tech companies like Apple and Google an ultimatum: implement software to block explicit images on children's phones by September or face legislation. Starmer stated that these companies must activate nudity-detection algorithms or similar technical solutions on smartphones and tablets to prevent children from taking or sharing images of genitalia unless verified as adults. If compliance is not met within three months, the UK government will introduce laws mandating this protection for all phones and tablets sold domestically. This initiative aims to prevent sexual predators from exploiting children and to stop children from accessing pornography, while adults will still be able to share such content through age verification.