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The UK has implemented the Online Safety Act, a comprehensive legislation designed to protect citizens from online harms. This new law imposes strict regulations on online platforms and services, requiring them to take proactive measures to mitigate risks associated with illegal content.
The UK has enacted the Online Safety Act to protect citizens from online harms, which came into effect on March 17, 2025.The legislation imposes new legal duties on online platforms and services, requiring them to mitigate risks associated with illegal content.The measures will apply to different services based on factors such as type of service, features, number of users, and results of an illegal content risk assessment.Small forum operators have expressed concerns about the Act's broad scope and lack of clarity surrounding specific regulations.Ofcom has launched a regulation checker tool and established a program to make regulations accessible and compliance more easily attainable for all online services.The Online Safety Act requires organizations to publish a summary risk assessment on their website, with larger sites subject to this requirement.The legislation also includes measures around data collection and storage, and requires services to put in place risk mitigations recommended by Ofcom's Codes of Practice.
The United Kingdom has taken a significant step towards protecting its citizens from online harms by enacting the Online Safety Act. This legislation, which came into effect on March 17, 2025, imposes new legal duties on online platforms and services, requiring them to take proactive measures to mitigate risks associated with illegal content. In this article, we will delve into the context of the Online Safety Act, exploring its scope, key provisions, and implications for small and large online services alike.
Ultimately, the measures will apply to different services based on factors such as:
* The type of service provided;
* The features and functionalities of a service;
* The number of users a service has; and
* The results of a provider’s illegal content risk assessment.
The government has emphasized that this legislation is designed to protect both children and adults online, creating new legal duties for the online platforms and apps affected. This comprehensive approach acknowledges that online harms can have far-reaching consequences, from death threats and revenge porn to suicide encouragement and human trafficking.
One of the primary concerns raised by small forum operators, such as the London Fixed Gear and Single Speed (LFGSS) community, is the act's broad scope and lack of clarity surrounding specific regulations. According to the forum's creator, "the very broad language and the fact that I'm based in the UK means we're covered" raises significant concerns.
To address these concerns, Ofcom has provided a regulation checker tool to help organizations understand if the Act applies to them. Additionally, the regulator has established an extensive program of work to make the regulations accessible and compliance more easily attainable for all online services within its scope.
Ben Packer, partner at law firm Linklaters, emphasizes that "every single service will have to go through all 17 categories of priority illegal content and consider ‘non-priority’ illegal content too." He notes that this process can be complex and time-consuming, particularly for small services with limited resources.
To facilitate compliance, Ofcom has launched a "Digital Support Service" consisting of interactive digital tools accessible on the regulator's website. The first release will provide a four-step process for illegal harms, covering services' risk assessment duties, Codes, and recordkeeping obligations.
The Online Safety Act also addresses concerns around data collection and storage, with Ofcom requiring organizations to publish a summary risk assessment on their website. Sites with 34 million or more monthly active UK users will be subject to this requirement, while smaller services will need to have the document ready for potential requests from regulators.
Ria Moody, Linklaters managing associate, highlights that "the practical journey [for smaller organizations] would be that Ofcom would write to these services and say, 'Have you done your risk assessment? Please show it to us. We're exercising our rights to request information from you as a service in scope.'"
Once a service has completed a risk assessment, Ofcom requires it to put in place the risk mitigations recommended in its Codes of Practice. Packer notes that "Ofcom is saying they expect most services to have put in place almost all of the recommended risk mitigations by six months [after the March deadline], so September 2025."
The Codes of Practice measures are categorized by size of service on the same criteria, with some measures depending on functionality or the presence of specific risks. Moody estimates that about 40 code measures will be relevant to a small service with less than 7 million monthly active UK users.
Despite these efforts, some forums in the UK remain concerned about the Act and the work it will require to comply, given their previous lack of exposure to similar activities. A lead moderator from an independently hosted outdoor sports forum expressed concerns that "technically, we could be used for these horrible things," but emphasized their community's low risk profile.
In conclusion, the Online Safety Act represents a significant development in the UK's efforts to protect its citizens from online harms. While this legislation poses challenges for small and large online services alike, Ofcom's resources and support programs aim to facilitate compliance and ensure that all relevant parties are equipped to address these issues.
The UK has implemented the Online Safety Act, a comprehensive legislation designed to protect citizens from online harms. This new law imposes strict regulations on online platforms and services, requiring them to take proactive measures to mitigate risks associated with illegal content.
Related Information:
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2025/01/14/online_safety_act/
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/its-not-just-big-tech-the-uks-online-safety-act-applies-across-the-board/ar-BB1rqEub
https://forums.theregister.com/forum/all/2025/01/14/online_safety_act/
Published: Tue Jan 14 10:28:06 2025 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
