UK Bill Targets Tech Executives With Jail Risk

The UK government is moving to hold senior technology executives personally liable, including criminal prosecution and potential jail time, if their platforms fail to comply with Ofcom orders to remove non-consensual intimate images. The measure will be introduced as an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill and is subject to parliamentary debate. Online Safety Minister Kanishka Narayan framed it as a non-negotiable duty on tech leadership, citing persistent victim harm despite existing law. The proposal builds on rules introduced in February requiring platforms to remove such content within 48 hours of notification. Current enforcement under the Online Safety Act already permits fines of up to 10% of global revenue or UK market access blocks against non-compliant companies. The new amendment shifts the compliance burden from the corporate entity to named individuals in executive roles, a structurally significant escalation. The government's stated rationale is that victims regularly fail to achieve permanent removal under the existing regime, suggesting corporate-level sanctions alone are insufficient deterrents. The broader legislative environment includes proposed restrictions on under-16 social media access and plans to criminalise specific categories of explicit content. For platform operators, the practical exposure is considerable: executives must now weigh personal criminal risk against any operational friction in content enforcement. Watch for parliamentary timeline, Ofcom's expanded mandate, and whether comparable liability frameworks emerge in the EU or US.