UK schools scrap pupil pics amid deepfake sextortion CSAM threat

Deepfake sextortion is forcing schools to pull pupil photos from websites, with the issue highlighted in an article published on 14 May 2026. The Guardian reports that UK experts, including the National Crime Agency, the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), and the Early Warning Working Group (EWWG), say blackmailers are scraping ordinary school pictures, running them through AI deepfake tools to create CSAM and demanding payments to keep the images offline.

The IWF classified 150 of the resulting images as CSAM under UK law and generated digital fingerprints for each image to block reuploads. UK safeguarding minister Jess Phillips called it a “deeply worrying emerging threat,” and in February 2025 the UK became the first country to ban AI tools designed to generate CSAM.

The EWWG advises schools to replace close-up photos with distant or blurred images, remove full names from captions, audit archives, and consider whether publishing pupil photos online is still needed. Some schools, such as Loughborough Schools Foundation, have already removed recognizable pupil images, and the ICO notes it would generally expect opt-outs rather than blanket consent in such cases.