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Online Porn Showing Choking to Be Made Illegal in UK, Government Says
The UK government criminalizes pornography depicting choking to protect children and reduce violence against women, making it a priority offence under the Online Safety Act.
On Monday, the UK government confirmed it will amend the Crime and Policing Bill to ban online porn showing strangulation, making possession or publication a priority offence under the Online Safety Act.
Amid rising reports of sexual strangulation, surveys show over a third of 16- to 34-year-olds were strangled during sex in the past year, while medical studies warn even brief strangulation causes brain damage.
The Ministry of Justice said duties will be placed on technology firms to prevent the spread of such images, with Victims minister Alex Davies-Jones stating the government 'will not stand by while women are violated online.'
ProtonVPN reported a 1,800 per cent sign-up surge after age checks this summer, while Marcus Johnstone of PCD Solicitors warned users will easily sidestep bans using virtual private networks .
Amid protests from sex-positive campaigners, sexual violence experts argue strangulation can never be consensual, while past 2014 pornography bans raise questions about lasting policy effectiveness.