The UK government is calling on tech firms such as Apple and Google to prohibit nude photographs unless users can validate their age. The Financial Times states that the British authorities intend to ask Google and Apple to restrict users on iOS and Android platforms from sharing or viewing nude content without age verification. Age verification remains a crucial topic within the tech sector, with organizations like Meta advocating for regulations that make Google and Apple responsible for this procedure.

The Financial Times noted: “Ministers desire Apple and Google to embed nudity-detection algorithms into their operating systems to prevent users from capturing or sharing genital images unless confirmed as adults. The Home Office is also seeking for operating systems to obstruct any nudity on display unless the user can prove their adulthood via biometric checks or official identification.”

At present, the UK government does not plan to enforce this for devices marketed in Britain but will push tech companies to embrace it, as reported by the Apple-centric platform MacRumors. Mashable has consistently reported on the proliferation of age-verification regulations. While these measures aim to safeguard minors, experts contend they frequently fall short and pose privacy issues. Nonetheless, as stated by Mashable’s Anna Iovine, filters at the device level could be the most ethical and effective means of implementing age restrictions.