Research Brief – The UK is pushing for device controls to filter nudity: but why is it problematic?
By Cynthia Ng
In 2026, the British Government made calls for tech companies to implement ‘device controls’ that prevent children from sending and receiving sexually explicit images. But what exactly is the technology behind device controls, and what changes to the law are being considered?
This brief aims to explain the current technological landscape in relation to device controls, and to explore the idea of on-device automated content blocking that underpins the Home Office’s recent demands of tech companies.
Author info
Dr. Cynthia Ng is a postdoctoral research associate at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Methodologies, University of Warwick. She is currently working on the UKRI-funded project “Scaling Trust: An Anthropology of Cyber Security”, where she examines trust relationships in socio-technical systems to inform policy. Cynthia’s broader research interests lie at the intersection of security, technology and society. Her thesis on encryption controversies elucidates how public interests—including privacy, trust, digital security, public safety and online safety—are negotiated in contestations over end-to-end encryption.