Cyberflashers face two years in jail under new laws

Cyberflashers will face up to two years in jail under a new criminal offence as stricter punishments for perpetrators, as well as tech companies, will be introduced in Parliament.

Under the Governments new duty of care laws to combat online harms, tech companies will face multi-million-pound fines with perpetrators landing up to two years in jail.

The multimillion-pound fines will be pursued if the tech companies do not prevent offenders sending unsolicited sexual images to people via social media or dating apps. The move will bring the penalties for indecent exposure online in line with indecent exposure in public.

This follows research conducted by University College London's Institute of Education, which found three quarters (76 per cent) of girls aged 12 to 18 has been sent unsolicited nude images of boys or men.

Such images can easily be sent by data-sharing services such as Bluetooth and Airdrop, and in most cases a preview can appear on the phone, so even if the victim rejects the transfer, the image has still been seen.

The Culture Secretary, Nadine Dorries said, "Tech has the power to bring people together and make our lives better, but it can also enable heinous behaviour from those who wish to abuse, harm and harass. The forthcoming Online Safety Bill will force tech companies to stop their platforms being used to commit vile acts of cyberflashing."

Dominic Raab, the Justice Secretary, said: "Protecting women and girls is my top priority, which is why we're keeping sexual and violent offenders behind bars for longer and boosting support services to £185million per year. Making cyberflashing a specific crime is the latest step – sending a clear message to perpetrators that they will face jail time."

The Law Commission recommended the change, meaning that anyone who sends an image/video of their genitals, for the purpose of their own sexual gratification or to harm/harass, will face a maximum jail sentence of two years in prison. It will stand alongside another three new criminal offences created by the Online Safety Bill to combat 'harmful' online communications, whether in private and/or public.