AI: “Nudify” Apps

Baroness Chakrabarti Excerpts

Tuesday 13th February 2024 Lords Chamber

[Viscount Camrose (Con)]

I absolutely agree, and the instance that the noble Baroness described is deplorable. I am pleased to say two things very briefly. First, the sharing she describes now carries, as a base offence, up to six months in prison; if, as in the case the noble Baroness put forward, the sharing is designed for the purposes of malice or gaining sexual gratification, that sentence goes up to two years. That regime is now live. On elections, we have set up the Defending Democracy Taskforce, with a new unit implemented last year specifically dedicated to safeguarding the election against such threats.

[Baroness Chakrabarti (Lab)]

My Lords, the noble Baroness, Lady Owen, asked a Question that was forensic, specific, nimble and agile—all adjectives that the Minister keeps using: “Why not ban these nudify apps?”. Why not ban the tools of the wicked trade, rather than waiting for individuals to misuse them? What is the positive use of this? Is it that big tech is now so deep in our politics that we do not dare regulate this technology to make sure that it is not used for ill?

[Viscount Camrose (Con)]

The reason the making is not banned is that the sharing is banned, and the reason we did that is that Law Commission—as set out very clearly in its document—made the argument that this was the most appropriate way to have a coherent and effective body of law preventing this deplorable misuse of technologies.