Another draft advice has been provided by Ofcom, the UK’s internet safety regulator, as it works to implement the Online Safety Act (OSA). Supporting in-scope businesses in fulfilling their legal responsibilities to shield women and girls from online dangers like misogyny, abuse of intimate images, harassment, and bullying is the goal of this most recent set of proposals.
The administration claims that protecting women and girls is of utmost importance in carrying out the OSA. The law explicitly designates certain forms of (mostly) sexist abuse as a priority for enforcement, such as the unapproved publication of private images or the use of artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to create deepfake pornography that targets particular individuals.
Enacted by the U.K. parliament in September 2023, the internet safety rule has been criticized for failing to reform platform companies, despite the fact that it carries severe penalties for non-compliance, up to 10% of global annual turnover.
Child safety advocates have also expressed their frustration with the law’s sluggish execution and questioned if it will have the desired effect.
The technology minister Peter Kyle said in an interview called it a “very uneven” and “unsatisfactory.”
Nonetheless, the government is sticking to the plan. The dissatisfaction around the OSA is partly due to its long implementation timeframe, which requires parliamentary approval of Ofcom compliance guidelines.
It is also expected that enforcement of the essential standards for preventing illegal content and safeguarding children will soon start. It will take longer to implement additional OSA compliance requirements. Moreover, Ofcom recognizes that full enforcement of this latest set of practice recommendations will not occur until 2027 or later.
