Today is a significant day for the UK's online space. Ofcom, the digital regulator, has given tech firms until March 16 to complete an assessment of the risks posed by illegal content on their platforms to children and adults. To assist with this, Ofcom has published its first-edition codes of practice and guidance today.
The guidance that Ofcom has published will help affected tech firms work out how they should tackle a wide range of illegal harms, including terror, hate, fraud, child sexual abuse, and assisting or encouraging suicide. Its guidance was compiled following consultations with stakeholders such as civil society, charities, campaigners, parents, children, the tech industry, expert bodies, and law enforcement agencies. It got over 200 responses from stakeholders.
Starting March 17, 2025, companies targeted by these rules will have to start enforcing them. Ofcom says that the new rules deliver senior accountability for safety, improved moderation and reporting processes, and increased protections for children and vulnerable groups.
Some specific examples include protecting children from grooming and sexual abuse, protecting women and girls from harassment, stalking, and non-consensual intimate images, and tackling fraud and removing terrorist content.
Ofcom characterized the publication of its guidance as the firing of the starting gun on these new safety rules. Every website and app in the scope of the law will be required to complete an assessment by March 16, 2025, before enforcement begins a day later on March 17.
Ofcom is responsible for enforcing the new rules, and if companies fall short, they can be fined up to £18 million or 10% of their qualifying worldwide revenue, whichever is higher. In the most egregious cases, Ofcom could also go to the courts to have website and app blocks put in place against offending platforms.
These online safety rules are one of the biggest changes to the UK's online space ever. Safety enforcement could also potentially benefit users in other countries if the tech companies decide to use the safety measures across all of their operations.
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