UK Government Announces New Online Safety Codes to Combat AI-Generated Child Abuse Material
Guardii Analysis
Ofcom published new illegal content codes of practice on 14 October 2024, requiring technology platforms to prevent, identify and remove AI-generated child sexual abuse material and other illegal content. The codes, developed under the Online Safety Act 2023, mandate proactive detection systems for Category A and Category B platforms, with enforcement beginning in early 2025. Platforms face penalties up to 10 percent of global revenue for non-compliance, and must implement measures including hash-matching, URL detection, and user reporting mechanisms to identify CSAM including synthetic and computer-generated imagery.
Detecting AI-generated CSAM at the point of contact, before distribution occurs, addresses the core enforcement challenge these codes confront. Guardii's anti-CSAM detection module operates within direct-message environments across Instagram, Snapchat, Discord, Roblox and other platforms, identifying harmful patterns in real time and blocking hostile material before it reaches a child, rather than relying solely on retrospective hash-matching of known images. This approach surfaces threat behaviour as it unfolds, enabling platforms to meet their duty-of-care obligations under the Online Safety Act while preserving user privacy by flagging the shape and seriousness of a conversation rather than exposing message content to blanket surveillance.