Following consultation, the government has laid its Statement of Strategic Priorities for Online Safety before the UK parliament under section 172 of the Online Safety Act. The SSP sets out the government’s focus areas for online safety. Ofcom must have regard to these priorities. The SSP are as follows: Ofcom must have regard to the…
UK law Ofcom issues guidance on mandatory age checks for pornographic content services Last week we wrote about Ofcom’s new guidance on protecting children under the Online Safety Act 2023. Among other things, it requires age assurance requirements for online services allowing pornographic content. From 25 July 2025, affected services must implement ‘highly effective age…
Ofcom has set out the principles and methods that it intends to follow when preparing its recommendations to the Secretary of State on designating connected TV platforms, as part of its work to implement the Media Act 2024. It says that it is critical that viewers can easily find and discover the diverse range of…
Ofcom has published its final guidance on protecting children under the Online Safety Act 2023. This follows consultation, including with children. The guidance includes more than 40 measures for tech firms to meet their duties under the Online Safety Act. These will apply to sites and apps used by UK children in areas such as…
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The European Commission has fined Meta €200 million for breaching the Digital Markets Act. Under the Digital Markets Act, gatekeepers must seek users’ consent for combining their personal data between services. Those users who do not consent must have access to a less personalised but equivalent alternative. In November 2023, Meta introduced a binary “Consent…
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The House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee has published a report on British film and high-end TV which includes several conclusions and recommendations which will be of interest to tech lawyers. The Committee has considered how the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools might transform the industry. For AI to be a…
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UK law Courts and Tribunals Judiciary publishes updated AI guidance and introduces Copilot Chat for judges The Courts and Tribunals Judiciary has published updated guidance to help judicial office holders to use AI. It updates and replaces the guidance document issued in December 2023. It sets out key risks and issues associated with using AI…
Ofcom has launched an investigation into whether the provider of an online suicide forum has failed to comply with its duties under the Online Safety Act 2023. This is the first investigation opened into an individual online service provider under the OSA. Specifically, Ofcom is investigating whether this provider has failed to: Due to its…
UK law Secretaries of State reply to Select Committees’ joint response to copyright and AI consultation The Secretaries of State for Science, Innovation and Technology and for Culture, Media and Sport have replied to the February 2025 CMS and SIT Committees’ joint response to the government’s consultation on AI and copyright. They have shared the…
As of 17 March, online platforms must start putting in place measures to comply with the duties to p[revent illegal harms under the Online Safety Act. Ofcom has launched its latest enforcement programme to assess industry compliance. Providers of services in scope of the OSA had until 16 March to carry out a suitable and…