Starmer announces explicit image controls for children

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Keir Starmer has asked tech firms to block children from seeing or sending sexually explicit images on smartphones and tablets. The government will legislate to force companies to adopt the measures if they fail to comply voluntarily within three months. Britain is the first country to pursue this approach, which makes it somewhat of an experiment. Apple devices are currently able to detect nudity in received messages, while Android devices have a similar feature that can be used in more limited cases. But the difficulty will be in stopping young people from sending explicit content, which is often done through end-to-end encrypted services. If tech firms succeed, it is likely to come at the expense of overall privacy for smartphone users.