Schools told to remove photos of pupils online after threat from AI sexual images - Christian…
Experts advise UK schools to remove pupil photos online after criminals used AI to create sexually explicit images for blackmail, targeting at least one secondary school.
- Incident date
- May 2026
- Target
- Unnamed secondary school
UK schools have been advised to remove pupils' photos from websites and social media due to the threat of AI-generated sexual images. Criminals are using these images for blackmail, demanding money from schools to prevent publication.
What happened
The National Crime Agency (NCA) and the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) warned that pupil photos are being used with AI to create child sexual abuse images. One unnamed secondary school was targeted: blackmailers took photos from the school's website and social media, created AI-generated sexually explicit images of the pupils, and demanded money under threat of publication. The IWF identified 150 images from the incident that could be classified as child sexual abuse material. The IWF said that there were other blackmail attempts of this kind involving a school that they were aware of.