Sir Sadiq Khan has pledged £6m to help tackle the “global emergency” of AI deepfakes and other technology-enabled violence against women and girls.
At the launch of a tech abuse conference in London on Tuesday, the Mayor of London said the “rapid pace” of technology has provided new spaces and means for men to harass and control women and created an “urgent need” to respond.
Abusers are using doorbell cameras, social media, sunglasses and mobile phones as “weapons”, he said, announcing the multi-million pound fund to spearhead a new approach and provide better support for victims and survivors.
Speaking to The Independent he also urged the government to “take seriously” frustrations voiced by former minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls Jess Phillips over the slow progress on the issue from government. Ms Phillips resigned last week citing concerns over “incremental change”.
It comes after domestic abuse charity Refuge reported a 207 per cent increase in tech abuse referrals - including sexualised, image-based abuse, AI-generated deepfakes, revenge porn, sextortion, doxing, online harassment and grooming - between 2018 and 2024, and a further 62 per cent increase between 2024 and 2025.
Recent data from the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) also shows that between August 2022 and July 2023, there were at least 123,515 Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) offences with an online or technology-enabled element.
In his keynote speech, the mayor said tech-enabled abuse is a “global emergency” that transcends borders. “The rapid pace of technology has provided new spaces and means for men to monitor, harass and control women and girls using everyday devices,” he said.
“It is turning doorbell cameras, social media, sunglasses and mobile phones into weapons used by perpetrators to target, harass and abuse in the digital age. The growth of other forms of tech enabled abuse such as revenge porn, online harassment and AI deepfakes underlines the urgent need to respond.
“That’s why it is so vital we are acting on this ground-breaking UCL research and bringing survivors, policy makers, academic experts, tech leaders, VAWG sector, campaigners, and those with lived experience of tech-abuse together to deliver lasting solutions and practical support.
“I’m backing this work with a new £6m fund to spearhead a urgent new approach to provide better support for victims and survivors of tech-enabled VAWG and deliver a safer London for all.”
Sir Sadiq said the new fund will be used to support women who are victims of tech-enabled VAWG such as deepfakes, revenge porn, nudification, cyber-flashing, and medical hijacking.
The investment will be spread over the next three years, with £2m invested over each year.
Speaking after the announcement, Sir Sadiq told The Independent the government must “listen” to frustrations raised by Ms Phillips last week in her resignation letter.
“I’m really sad and disappointed she is not the minister leading this work,” he said. “I think the government has to take what she says seriously. When Jess Phillips with the huge experience she has got has articulated that frustration about incremental change rather than big change it’s really important that the government listens.
“I’m hoping they will take on board the issues she has raised and her successor builds the work Jess has done, and more importantly that the government, prime minister, the chancellor and others address the points Jess has made.”
He added the he would work with victims, survivors, and experts to determine where the new fund will be used.
“This new money is ringfenced for tech-enabled VAWG,” he said. “We’ll be working with experts and survivors to work out how best to use this.
“The key focus should be in my view better support for victims and survivors. What I’d like to see is more work around prevention, more work around making sure people know what to do, but also more work to ensure action is taken against perpetrators.”
Mr Khan opened the tech abuse conference. Conference organiser, Dr Leonie Tanczer said technology-facilitated abuse is “no longer a niche or emerging issue” but a part of the “everyday reality of coercive control”.
She said: “Too often, victims and survivors are left to manage risks created by technologies, institutions and infrastructures they did not design and cannot control. That has to change. Safety, consent, prevention and perpetrator accountability must be built into products, policies and frontline responses from the outset.
“That is why this conference is about moving from awareness to action, from fragmented responses to shared accountability, and from simply naming the problem to building the conditions for real-world change.”
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