Legal News

Cyberflashing to become a criminal offence under the Online Safety Bill

Published on: 15 March 2022
Published by LNB News

LNB News 15/03/2022

Document Information

Issue Date: 15 March 2022

Published Date: 15 March 2022

Jurisdiction(s): England and Wales

Article summary

The Ministry of Justice has announced that ‘cyberflashing’ is set to become a criminal offence under the Online Safety Bill. Cyberflashing typically involves an offender sending unsolicited sexual images to others via social media or dating apps, as well as via functions such as Bluetooth and Airdrop for their own sexual gratification or to cause the victim humiliation, alarm or distress. The addition of the offence follows similar actions taken to criminalise breastfeeding voyeurism and up-skirting, and builds on the Online Safety Bill’s aims of making sure criminal law is fit for the internet age by better protecting victims from harmful communications online. The offence will carry a proposed maximum sentence of two years.

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