# UK Outlaws Extreme and Violent Online Pornography Starting November New criminal penalties target violent depictions, incest roleplay, and platform hosting across England and Wales. - **Source:** [BBC News](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology) - **Published:** 2026-10-15 - **Topic:** [Business](https://brifing.si/c/business) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/2e934d85-f63c-40e7-97fc-9b80187f5bc3 ## November Enforcement Timeline Beginning 6 November, producing, publishing, or possessing specific categories of extreme pornography will be illegal across England and Wales. The new measures target depictions of strangulation, suffocation, incestuous relations, and adults role-playing as minors under 16. These changes enact amendments passed under the Crime and Policing Bill. ## Findings From Bertin Review The statutory ban stems directly from a 2025 independent review commissioned under former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and led by Baroness Gabby Bertin. The investigation highlighted widespread depictions of choking on mainstream sites, citing an account of a 14-year-old boy asking a teacher how to choke sexual partners. ## Closing Digital Legal Loopholes While non-fatal strangulation without consent was already a criminal offense offline, distributing or possessing digital recordings of the act remained entirely legal. Baroness Bertin and Justice Minister Alex Davies-Jones stated the reform addresses an absence of regulation, specifically targeting material that glorifies violence against women and distorts relationship norms. ## Strict Publication Penalties Under the new framework, publishing prohibited material carries a maximum prison sentence of up to five years. The government defines publication broadly, covering uploading, hosting, distributing, or making the content accessible online. This mechanism primarily aims to shift legal liability toward digital platforms and commercial pornographic hosts. ## Possession Sentencing Thresholds The statute establishes strict, tiered custodial sentences for simply possessing banned digital media. Retaining images depicting sexual role-play involving individuals pretending to be under 16 carries up to three years in prison. Holding depictions of strangulation, suffocation, or incestuous activity faces penalties of up to two years. ## Scope of Storage Definitions Justice Minister Alex Davies-Jones issued explicit guidance directing individuals to delete violating content immediately. Criminal liability for possession applies universally across hardware and remote infrastructure, capturing files stored on smartphones, personal computers, or cloud storage accounts. The law also covers role-play involving step-relations pretending to be under 18. ## Campaigners Demand Platform Compliance The End Violence Against Women Coalition and Durham University law professor Clare McGlynn welcomed the legislation as a vital legal boundary. However, both emphasized that success depends on updating enforcement mechanisms under the Online Safety Act to compel commercial platforms to actively remove and moderate prohibited material. ## Regulatory Execution Ahead Legal experts emphasize that while individual possession is newly criminalized, the primary objective is transforming systemic online distribution. The central challenge moving past 6 November will be how effectively tech regulators and law enforcement audit hosting providers to eliminate violent content from digital circulation. ## Sources covering this story - [BBC News — UK Government Bans Extreme Pornographic Content Starting November](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmpqgepejr2ro?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss) - [Technology | The Guardian — England and Wales to Ban Violent and Incestuous Pornography Content](https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/oct/16/pornography-strangulation-incest-ban-uk-november) --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._