U.K. Defines 'Extreme Pornography'

LONDON — New rules defining "extreme pornographic images" — which will become illegal to possess in the U.K. when new rules go into effect Jan. 26 — have been issued by the U.K. Ministry of Justice.

The eight-page document details that "extreme" images must be pornographic, be "grossly offensive, disgusting, or otherwise of an obscene character," and must "[portray] in an explicit and realistic way" an act from a list which includes bestiality, necrophilia and acts which threaten life or threatens or results in serious injury to a person's anus, breast or genitals.

The document admits that "life threatening" and "serious injury" are not defined and will be a question of fact to be determined by a judge or jury.

Penalties upon conviction can range from six months imprisonment and up to 5,000 pounds fine to three years imprisonment and an unlimited fine depending on the degree of offense and level of court imposing the penalties. Convicted offenders could also be required to enter a sex offenders registry depending on the sentence imposed.

The complete document is available here.

Related:  

Copyright © 2026 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Clips4Sale Wins Trademark Infringement Case Against Fraudulent Domain

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has ruled in favor of content platform Clips4Sale in a case against a website using a similar domain to impersonate the site.

FSC Talks Age Verification on Capitol Hill

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has published a blog post detailing the organization's talks on age verification on Capitol Hill in Washington.

FTC Warns PayPal, Stripe, Visa, Mastercard Against Debanking

Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson sent letters on Thursday to the CEOs of PayPal, Stripe, Visa and Mastercard, warning them against debanking practices — including denying customers access to services based on lawful business activities perceived as high-risk.

EU Cites 4 Adult Sites for AV Breaches

The European Commission has preliminarily found PornHub, Stripchat, XNXX and XVideos to be in breach of Digital Services Act provisions intended to shield minors from adult content.

Brazil Sets Enforcement Timeline for New AV Rules

Brazil’s National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) on Friday published a timeline outlining planned steps for monitoring and enforcing age verification under the country’s Digital Statute for Children and Adolescents (Digital ECA), which took effect Tuesday.

Utah Governor Signs 'Porn Tax' and VPN Rule Into Law

Governor Spencer Cox on Friday signed into law a bill to tax adult websites and make them liable if minors circumvent geolocation.

German Court: Regulator Can't Block Creator's IG Account, Only Posts

A German court has ruled that while a regional media regulatory agency may block specific Instagram posts that include material deemed harmful to minors, it cannot ban an entire Instagram account due to such a post.

Brazil Lays Out Preliminary Guidelines for New AV Requirements

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Wednesday signed a decree establishing guidelines for new regulations requiring adult websites to age-verify users located in Brazil.

Senate Committee Debates Section 230 Reform

The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a hearing Wednesday on potential changes to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects interactive computer services — including adult platforms — from liability for user-generated content.

Show More