Under government plans to tighten the future online safety bill, cyberflashing will be made a criminal offense, with perpetrators facing up to two years in prison.

Also read: Less crime and more weed: New York City’s plan to revive economy

According to 2020 research, three-quarters of girls aged 12 to 18 have received unsolicited nude photographs of boys or men. A revised version of the internet safety bill, which will include a variety of new charges in addition to cyberflashing, is anticipated to be issued this week.

The culture secretary, Nadine Dorries, said, “The forthcoming online safety bill will force tech companies to stop their platforms being used to commit vile acts of cyberflashing. We are bringing the full weight on individuals who perpetrate this awful behavior.”

Also read: Two people stabbed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City

The initiative to prosecute cyberflashing in England and Wales follows recent action to make upskirting a crime, as well as a proposal this year to make nursing voyeurism a crime. The two-year sentence would be consistent with the maximum penalty for indecent exposure.

“Reports of cyberflashing are rising worryingly. This offense will close loopholes in the existing law and ensure that cyberflashing is treated as seriously as in-person flashing,” Prof Penney Lewis, criminal law commissioner at the Law Commission, an independent agency that analyses laws in England and Wales, made the statement.

Also read: Russia-Ukraine crisis: Why did Ukraine impose martial law in 2018?

Other offences in the bill are intended to punish digital “pile-ons,” such as sending threatening social media posts and publishing fake bomb warnings. The offenses proposed by the Law Commission are as follows: sending or posting a message that conveys a serious threat of serious harm; sending a communication with the intent of causing psychological harm or serious emotional distress; and intentionally sending a false message with the intent of causing harm.

When it is released this week, the internet safety bill will have undergone significant alterations from its draught version. In addition to the new criminal offences, it will compel internet platforms to safeguard consumers from false advertisements and would require commercial pornography sites to do age checks on those attempting to access their content. Privacy advocates have called the new age-verification policy a “privacy minefield,” warning that it might establish the notion of age-gating across the internet.

Also read: Wrestler Scott Hall on life support after suffering 3 heart attacks: Report

The measure imposes a duty of care on technology companies that host content submitted by internet users, with social media platforms receiving special attention. The duty of care encompasses various areas, including blocking the spread of illegal content and behaviour such as child sexual abuse and terrorist material, protecting children from harmful or inappropriate information, and protecting adults from legal but damaging content such as cyberbullying.

The communications regulator, Ofcom, would oversee the legislation and have the authority to fine corporations that violate the act up to 10% of their global turnover.