TL;DR – Porn is a disease
- The UK government is proposing amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill, aiming to make the possession or publication of strangulation pornography a priority offence under the Online Safety Act.
- Baroness Gabby Bertin’s review highlighted alarming trends among youth regarding choking during sex, calling for government oversight of the pornography industry.
- Technology companies will be legally required to prevent violent content from reaching users, rather than waiting for reports of such material.
‘Vile and dangerous’ strangulation pornography to be banned | Politics News
Non-fatal strangulation is already an offence in its own right, but it is not currently illegal to show it online.
Conservative peer Baroness Bertin warned earlier this year that there has been a “total absence of government scrutiny” of the pornography industry.
Her independent review, published in February, referred to worrying anecdotal evidence from teachers about students asking how to choke girls during sex.
People acting out choking in their sex lives “may face devastating consequences”, she said in the review.
On Monday, the government confirmed it was putting forward amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill, which is due to come back before peers in the House of Lords for further scrutiny next week.
Currently, victims have six months to do so, but this will be extended to three years.
Victims minister Alex Davies-Jones said the government “will not stand by while women are violated online and victimised by violent pornography which is allowed to normalise harm”.
She added: “We are sending a strong message that dangerous and sexist behaviour will not be tolerated.”
Of strangulation pornography, Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said: “Viewing and sharing this kind of material online is not only deeply distressing, it is vile and dangerous. Those who post or promote such content are contributing to a culture of violence and abuse that has no place in our society.
“We’re also holding tech companies to account and making sure they stop this content before it can spread. We are determined to make sure women and girls can go online without fear of violence or exploitation.”
