Asked by: Marie Goldman (Liberal Democrat - Chelmsford)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions she has had with Ofcom regarding xAI’s Grok creating intimate and sexually explicit images of people, including minors, without their consent.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The government is clear that no one should have to go through the ordeal of these horrendous images online.
Ofcom has confirmed that they have opened an investigation into X and have our full backing to take necessary enforcement action.
The commencement order for the offence of the creation, or requested creation, of intimate images will be signed this week meaning that individuals are committing a criminal offence if they create – or seek to create – such abhorrent content. This will also be made a priority offence, meaning platforms must take proactive action.
This is not about restricting freedom of speech but upholding the law.
Asked by: Marie Goldman (Liberal Democrat - Chelmsford)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has made a recent assessment of the effectiveness of Ofcom.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Ofcom’s effectiveness is kept under regular review and there is ongoing engagement with the regulator on key issues.
We monitor Ofcom’s effectiveness against its key performance indicators and objectives using reporting in Ofcom’s Annual Report and Accounts. These are laid before Parliament, to whom Ofcom is accountable. Ofcom’s leadership also appears regularly before Select Committees to give evidence and to be scrutinised on Ofcom’s work. In addition, DSIT ministers will meet with Ofcom to discuss overall performance twice a year as part of the Regulation Reform Programme.
The government directs Ofcom on parts of its remit through statements of strategic priorities. Ofcom must report annually on how it has had regard to their steers. The online safety statement was designated in July 2025, and the updated telecoms, spectrum and post statement will be designated in the coming months. Ofcom must have regard to the statements when exercising relevant functions and must publish a review of what it has done in consequence of the statements every 12 months.
Asked by: Marie Goldman (Liberal Democrat - Chelmsford)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will take steps to ensure that Ofcom adequately enforces the Online Safety Act 2023 in the context of social media companies.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Ofcom is the independent regulator for online safety and is responsible for scrutinising platforms’ risk assessments, requiring safety mitigations, and enforcing safety duties. Ofcom has our full backing in using all available powers to protect users.
On 4 December 2025, Ofcom released a summary of the tech sector's response to the UK's new online safety rules. While there has been notable progress, further action is needed, including by major services.
Government meets Ofcom regularly to discuss online safety, including ensuring the swift implementation of the outstanding duties under the Act, and we continue to monitor outcomes through our joint evaluation programme.
Asked by: Marie Goldman (Liberal Democrat - Chelmsford)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with Ofcom on the effectiveness of its implementation of the Online Safety Act 2023.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Ofcom is the independent regulator for online safety and is responsible for scrutinising platforms’ risk assessments, requiring safety mitigations, and enforcing safety duties. Ofcom has our full backing in using all available powers to protect users.
On 4 December 2025, Ofcom released a summary of the tech sector's response to the UK's new online safety rules. While there has been notable progress, further action is needed, including by major services.
Government meets Ofcom regularly to discuss online safety, including ensuring the swift implementation of the outstanding duties under the Act, and we continue to monitor outcomes through our joint evaluation programme.
Asked by: Marie Goldman (Liberal Democrat - Chelmsford)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps the Government is taking to ensure AI training models are subject to existing copyright laws; and what assessment he has made of the impact of the proposed exemption for text and data mining on (a) artists, (b) small businesses and (c) other creative industries.
Answered by Feryal Clark
Copying protected material in the UK will infringe copyright unless it is licensed, or an exception to copyright applies.
The Government published a consultation on Copyright and AI in December 2024 seeking views on proposals for a new regulatory model for text and data mining.
An initial assessment of the options under consideration and their impacts can be found in the summary assessment published alongside the consultation. The Government intends to update its assessment in light of evidence received through the consultation process.
The consultation closed on 25 February and the Government will respond in due course.