UK to accelerate law criminalising creation of sexual deepfakes

LONDON, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Britain will bring into effect a law criminalising the creation of non-consensual intimate images this week, technology minister Liz Kendall told parliament on Monday after regulator Ofcom launched an investigation into Elon Musk's X.

Kendall said the law would make it illegal for companies to supply tools designed to create such images. She said steps taken last week by X to limit access to such image creation feature to paid subscribers only did not go far enough.

"They are not harmless images. They're weapons of abuse, disproportionately aimed at women and girls," she told parliament.

Kendall also said the government would keep under review its decision to continue using X as a means of communication.