Summary
The government plans to make online pornography that shows choking or strangulation illegal. The change is part of efforts to prevent violence against women and girls. Platforms will have to find and remove such content, or face penalties.
Key Facts
- The new law will make both possessing and sharing pornography that shows choking a crime.
- The law is part of changes to the Crime and Policing Bill going through Parliament.
- Online platforms must proactively remove this content, as required by media regulator Ofcom.
- The rule will classify choking in porn as a "priority offence" under the Online Safety Act.
- Technology Secretary Liz Kendall emphasized the need for tech companies to stop harmful content.
- A review found that portrayals of choking are common on mainstream porn sites.
- Government amendments build on existing laws like the Obscene Publications Act 1959.
- Critics argue that similar laws exist but are not enforced, doubting the new law’s effectiveness.
