The UK government is set to encourage tech giants Apple and Google to implement nudity detection algorithms in their device operating systems, aiming to protect users from viewing explicit content.
The Financial Times reports that the UK government is gearing up to push for the integration of nudity-blocking systems on smartphones and computers. The UK will reportedly “encourage” tech giants Apple and Google to prevent devices from displaying nude images unless users verify that they are adults.
The forthcoming initiative, which is expected to be announced in the coming days as part of the government’s strategy to tackle violence against women and girls, seeks to have companies like Apple and Google incorporate nudity-detection algorithms into their device operating systems. These algorithms would prevent users from taking or sharing explicit images unless they are verified as adults through methods such as biometric checks or official ID.
While the UK government has initially focused on mobile devices, the push could potentially expand to desktops and laptops as well. Government officials point out that Microsoft already has the capability to scan for “inappropriate content” in its Microsoft Teams platform.
Although the Home Office has explored making such controls a mandatory requirement for devices sold in the UK, they have decided against this approach for now. Instead, they will initially encourage companies to introduce these controls voluntarily.
This push for device-level blocking comes on the heels of the UK’s implementation of the Online Safety Act, which requires porn platforms and social media firms to verify users’ ages before allowing them to view adult content. However, the law has its limitations, as many people use VPN services to circumvent the UK age checks. Government officials may view device-level detection of nudity as a solution to this problem, but such systems raise concerns about user rights and the accuracy of the nudity detection algorithms.
Both Apple and Google currently provide optional tools that allow parents to control the content their children can access. The companies could potentially object to mandates on privacy grounds, as they have done in other venues. For instance, when Texas enacted an age-verification law for app stores, Apple and Google complied but warned of risks to user privacy. A lobby group representing these tech firms then sued Texas in an attempt to prevent the law from taking effect, arguing that it “imposes a broad censorship regime on the entire universe of mobile apps.”
Similar age-verification battles are taking place in other countries, such as Australia, where the government recently decided to ban social media for users under 16. Companies have stated that they would comply, although Reddit has sued Australia in a bid to overturn the law.
Read more at the Financial Times here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
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