New laws making it a criminal offence to create or request the creation of non-consensual intimate images came into force last week.

The offence was introduced by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, section 138 of which states that a person commits an offence if they create a “purported intimate image” of another person without their consent. However, despite the Act receiving Royal Assent in the summer of last year, this section had yet to come into force, leading some to argue that the Government was dragging its heels and imploring it to act sooner.

The recent controversy surrounding the use of X’s ‘Grok’ AI tool to generate edited sexualised images has now prompted action to be taken.

In a Statement to the House of Commons, the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Liz Kendall, confirmed that the offence would be brought into force last week, explaining that “this means individuals are committing a criminal offence if they create – or seek to create – such content – including on X – and anyone who does this should expect to face the full extent of the law”.

The Secretary of State also added that the offence would be made a ‘priority offence’ under the Online Safety Act 2023, meaning that regulated services must take proactive steps to prevent such content appearing on their platforms.