The current legal framework fails to protect individuals who withdraw consent for the retention of their intimate images. Keeping such images after consent is withdrawn can be exploited for coercive control or intimidation. While consent is rightly emphasised in physical relationships, the same unequivocal principle must apply in the digital realm.

As our personal and romantic lives become increasingly digitised, society’s recognition of and legal protection for digital consent must be equally robust. Right now, people are exploiting a loophole in the law.

Under current UK law, it is a criminal offence to share or threaten to share intimate images without consent. However, there is no clear offence for refusing to delete such images after consent has been withdrawn. This gap leaves many vulnerable to abuse and intimidation, without meaningful legal recourse.

By amending the Online Safety Act 2023, the UK Government can close this loophole and offer stronger protections. The amendment should make it a criminal offence to retain intimate images without active, ongoing consent ensuring that once consent is withdrawn, those images must be deleted.

This change would bring digital consent in line with the legal and moral standards applied offline, upholding personal autonomy and safety.

Join us in calling on lawmakers to rectify this oversight in the Online Safety Act 2023. By signing this petition, we can push for a legal framework that truly protects consent,  online and offline, giving people peace of mind and genuine control over their intimate images.