Government pilots online pornography monitor to tackle violent content

The government has commissioned the body that age rates films in the UK to test the feasibility of monitoring online pornography for violent and abusive content.

The pilot by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) will inform ministerial decisions on the most effective way to close a gap between online and offline regulations, potentially resulting in a formal online auditor, Sky News understands.

The BBFC already regulates "offline" pornography, such as DVDs bought in shops, but there are no equivalent rules for videos on the internet.

It has led to concerns that extreme material banned in physical media is easily accessible online, as highlighted in Baroness Gabby Bertin's landmark review into online pornography published last year.

The review by the Conservative peer has resulted in new criminal offences for the publication and possession of certain types of online pornography, including strangulation, incest, step-incest and adults role-playing as children.

The laws will come into force by the end of the year and have been praised by campaigners and MPs as some of the strongest in the world.

However Baroness Bertin said for the legislation to be effective there also needed to be "more proactive regulation", including "spot checking and auditing" .

"This is about regulating against illegal content, it's not about regulating sexual kinks," she told Sky News.

Bertin's review had suggested the BBFC audit websites, given its experience monitoring offline pornography for 40 years. They have previously raised concerns about the disparity between online and offline regulation and said they stand ready to expand their remit.

They were awarded a three-month contract for an Audit of Internet Services pilot in July, seen as an important first step.

The pilot includes generating evidence on the availability of certain online pornographic content and evaluating how it could be monitored and reported on at scale given the huge size of the market.

No final decisions have been made. However the government has said it wants to achieve greater parity with offline and online regulation, with a delivery plan expected in the autumn.

Polluter pays model

An auditor would likely need funding for staff to monitor content as well as new technology. Baroness Bertin proposed a polluter pays model where porn companies as well as social media companies and search engines pay into it.

"You are then saying to users, we are tried and tested and if you come into our site you won't see illegal content."

She said as well as monitoring for illegal content, an auditor could draw up guidance to address the "grey area" of material that is not illegal but would be banned in the offline world.

It could also do spot checks for age of performers and consent, requiring mandatory paper trails.

Baroness Bertin is supported by many female Labour MPs, who earlier this year forced ministers into a climbdown over a ban on step incest porn after they threatened to rebel.

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Tackling extreme pornography is considered vital to Labour's pledge to halve violence against women and girls by the end of the decade.

Baroness Bertin said: "A lot of pornographic content freely available is incredibly violent and abusive towards women, likewise there are countless chat forums where discussions on abhorrent subjects like 'how to safely drug your partner' are left unchecked.

"It this was content related to terrorism the full force of the law would act immediately, this should also be the case when it comes to violence against women."

(c) Sky News 2026: Government pilots online pornography monitor to tackle violent content