Coco’s Law Prosecutions Surge as AI-Generated Abuse Concerns Rise

Prosecutions under Ireland’s Coco’s Law, legislation designed to combat the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, have seen a significant increase, with authorities similarly grappling with the emerging threat of AI-generated abusive content. The rise in prosecutions underscores a growing awareness and enforcement of the law, while the potential for misuse of artificial intelligence is prompting calls for strengthening existing legal frameworks.

Coco’s Law: A Rising Number of Prosecutions

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) initiated 75 prosecutions under Coco’s Law in 2025, a 41.5% increase from the 53 cases pursued in 2024. This brings the total number of prosecutions since the law’s enactment in February 2021 to 240. An additional 12 cases have been initiated in the current year.

The number of cases has steadily risen since the law came into effect: 8 cases were prosecuted in 2021, 49 in 2022, 43 in 2023, and 53 in 2024.

Convictions under Coco’s Law can result in prison sentences of up to three years in the circuit court.

Expanding Scope of the Law

The Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020, commonly known as Coco’s Law, not only criminalizes the sharing of intimate images without consent but also addresses other forms of harmful communication. Specifically, the Act targets the distribution, publication, or sending of threatening or grossly offensive communications intended to cause harm.

Concerns Over AI-Generated Abuse

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has indicated that Coco’s Law may require strengthening in response to the increasing use of artificial intelligence to create offensive content. This concern highlights the evolving challenges in addressing digital abuse, as AI technology enables the creation of realistic but fabricated intimate images and harassing materials.

Operational Review Highlights Increased Awareness

An operational review published in September 2024 revealed that almost 100 cases had been prosecuted under Coco’s Law since its implementation. The review also noted a significant increase in charges issued by An Garda Síochána, rising from 22 in 2021 to 95 in 2022 and 113 in 2023.

Public awareness of the law has also grown, with research showing a jump in understanding of the illegality of sharing intimate images without consent, from 69% in August 2021 to 97% in November 2023.

Ministerial Oversight

Jim O’Callaghan, the current Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, assumed office in January 2025. Prosecutions, however, remain the responsibility of the independent ODPP.