# Intimate images taken down within 48 hours

> “Today we are going further, putting companies on notice so that any non-consensual image is taken down in under 48 hours.”
>
> — Sir Keir Starmer, Prime Minister, Labour Party; Press release (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology), 19 February 2026

- **Status:** Delivering
- **Status ladder:** Promised → In plan → Legislated → Funded → Delivering → Delivered
- **Policy area:** [Police, courts, prisons](https://ledgergov.uk/promises/area/police-courts-and-prisons)
- **Speaker:** [Sir Keir Starmer](https://ledgergov.uk/actor/keir-starmer), Prime Minister
- **Party:** [Labour Party](https://ledgergov.uk/actor/labour)
- **Made on:** 19 February 2026
- **Where:** Press release (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
- **Cost a year:** No costing published
- **Who it affects:** People whose intimate images are shared online without their consent
- **When:** Not stated
- **Paid for by:** Not a spending pledge
- **Quote source:** https://www.gov.uk/government/news/tech-firms-will-have-to-take-down-abusive-images-within-48-hours-under-new-law-to-protect-women-and-girls (checked word for word at its source on 20 October 2026; Open Government Licence v3.0)
- **Last updated:** 21 October 2026
- **Card:** https://ledgergov.uk/promise/uk-intimate-images-48-hours-2026

## Where it stands

Section 100 of the Crime and Policing Act 2026, law since 29 April 2026, requires online services to take down intimate images shared without consent as soon as reasonably practicable and no later than 48 hours after a report. It came into force on 29 June 2026 (S.I. 2026/689), and Ofcom oversees compliance. No official figures on how platforms comply had been published by 20 October 2026; the card moves to Delivered when they show reported images coming down within 48 hours.

## Timeline

- 19 February 2026, Promised: The Prime Minister says non-consensual intimate images must be taken down in under 48 hours
- 29 April 2026, Legislated: The Crime and Policing Act 2026 becomes law with the 48-hour duty (section 100) ([evidence](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2026/20/section/100))
- 29 June 2026, Delivering: The 48-hour takedown duty comes into force ([evidence](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/689))

## About the cost

No cost was given with the promise.

## Sources

- [Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Tech firms will have to take down abusive images within 48 hours under new law (19 Feb 2026)](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/tech-firms-will-have-to-take-down-abusive-images-within-48-hours-under-new-law-to-protect-women-and-girls)
- [Crime and Policing Act 2026, section 100 (legislation.gov.uk)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2026/20/section/100)
- [The Crime and Policing Act 2026 (Commencement No.1 and Saving Provision) Regulations 2026, S.I. 2026/689 (legislation.gov.uk)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/689)
- [Home Office and Ministry of Justice: Crime and Policing Act 2026, intimate image abuse factsheet (29 Sep 2026)](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/crime-and-policing-act-2026-factsheets/crime-and-policing-act-2026-intimate-image-abuse-factsheet)

## Checks

- Verified by Pavel Guzhikov, checked by AI Journalist; approved on 21 October 2026.
- Checked by AI Journalist (automated) on 20 October 2026.

---

LedgerGov.UK's own writing (headlines, status notes, cost notes, summaries) is licensed under [Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/): reuse it, crediting LedgerGov.UK with a link to the card. Official figures are under the [Open Government Licence v3.0](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/) unless their source says otherwise; quotes from Parliament under the [Open Parliament Licence v3.0](https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright-parliament/open-parliament-licence/); other quotes are short extracts whose rights stay with the speaker. How the numbers and statuses are made: https://ledgergov.uk/method.