UK law
GDS and DSIT publish guidelines for preparing government datasets for AI use
The Government Digital Service and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology have published initial guidance on preparing government datasets for use in AI applications. The guidance provides the initial guidelines for releasing government datasets for AI applications and sets out guidelines, success criteria, and best practices for UK public sector organisations, providing clear steps for preparing datasets to support various AI capabilities and promoting responsible data stewardship. Implementation pillars and actionable principles are included with the aim of ensuring responsible AI adoption with legality, security, and public confidence.
UK government issues update on National Data Library
The UK government has published an update on the National Data Library. The government says that it is committed to realising the opportunities that data offers, including through creating a National Data Library. As part of its work to create the National Data Library, the government has completed an extensive discovery phase to understand the biggest opportunities and priorities where it could make the most impact through the National Data Library; and to test approaches to systemic reform across the public sector whilst also delivering tangible benefits for people and the economy. The update sets out key activities to date, new data access initiatives, the opportunity for public sector data, government data access initiatives already delivering and next steps
Ofcom investigates compliance with information request about WhatsApp Business services
Ofcom is investigating Meta, which owns WhatsApp, following concerns about its compliance with statutory requests for information. Ofcom emphasises that gathering accurate information from regulated companies is fundamental to its regulatory responsibilities. Therefore, it routinely issues formal information requests, to which regulated firms are legally required to respond in an accurate, complete and timely way. Last year, it carried out a review of the wholesale market for business bulk SMS messages, which are often used for things like appointment reminders and parcel delivery notifications, as it noted that prices had increased substantially in recent years. As part of that process, it needed to understand more about the alternative business messaging services that are available. Using its formal information-gathering powers under section 135 of the Communications Act, it requested various information from Meta about its WhatsApp Business service. The available evidence suggests that the information it received in response from Meta may not have been complete and accurate. As a result, Ofcom has started investigating whether Meta has failed to comply with its statutory duties in this area.
Ofcom joins forces with international online safety regulators on age checks
Ofcom and international online safety regulators have come together to highlight the importance of age checks in protecting children online. The Global Online Safety Regulators Network (GOSRN), which brings together online safety regulators across the world, has set out its views and expectations on the important role age assurance plays in the global effort to protect children. The GOSRN has set out four key principles: age assurance plays a foundational role in protecting children from harmful content and ensuring online services can deliver age-appropriate experience for child users; service providers should adhere to core outcome-focused principles when deploying age assurance, including accuracy, reliability, and fairness; adhering to data protection laws and upholding users’ rights to privacy and expression is non-negotiable, wherever age assurance Is deployed.
Ofcom asks how people and businesses can benefit from AI in telecoms markets
Ofcom is inviting views on the impact of AI on the experience of telecoms customers. As the communications regulator, it supports responsible innovation and the adoption of new technologies, where they can benefit people and businesses. While the use of AI is not new for the telecoms sector, there has been a rapid increase in the use of these tools by both providers and customers. Ofcom’s work will focus on three specific areas: how tools are currently being deployed and used across the telecoms sector, for instance to handle customer conversations, and how customers, including businesses, are affected; the evolving nature of such technologies, and the opportunities and risks these tools present to the telecoms customer journey; and how the rules can support responsible innovation and growth, while continuing to protect consumers. The call for views ends on 10 March 2026.
Government publishes research on GenAI content labelling
The House of Commons Library has published a research briefing about generative AI content labelling. The briefing discusses the challenges and limitations of AI content labelling and considers the content labelling policies for organisations such as Meta, TikTok, X and YouTube.
Mills Review to consider how AI will reshape retail financial services
The FCA has launched a review into the implications of advanced AI on consumers, retail financial markets and regulators. It seeks views on four key topics: how AI could evolve in the future, including the development of more autonomous and agentic systems; how these developments could affect markets and firms, including changes to competition and market structure and UK competitiveness, the impact on consumers, including how consumers will be influenced by AI but also influence financial markets through new expectations, and how financial regulators may need to evolve to continue ensuring that retail financial markets work well. Comments are invited by 24 February.
EU law
Commission designates WhatsApp as Very Large Online Platform under the Digital Services Act
The European Commission has formally designated WhatsApp as a Very Large Online Platform (VLOP) under the Digital Services Act (DSA), as its “Channels” feature reaches the designation threshold of at least 45 million users in the EU. WhatsApp is a hybrid service comprising features of private messaging and of an online platform. WhatsApp Channels, the feature of WhatsApp that allows recipients to disseminate information, updates and announcements to a broad audience of WhatsApp users, falls under the definition of an online platform service and is therefore already subject to the general DSA obligations that online platforms in the EU must respect. WhatsApp’s private messaging service enabling users to send text messages, voice notes, photos, videos, documents, and make voice and video calls to other users remains explicitly excluded from the application of the DSA. Following the designation, Meta, the provider of WhatsApp, has four months, that is, by mid-May 2026, to ensure WhatsApp complies with the additional DSA obligations for VLOPs. These obligations include duly assessing and mitigating any systemic risks, such as violations of fundamental human rights and freedom of expression, electoral manipulation, the dissemination of illegal content and privacy concerns, stemming from its services. Following its designation as a very large online platform, the Commission will be competent to supervise WhatsApp’s compliance with the DSA, in cooperation with Coimisiún na Meán, the Irish Digital Services Coordinator.
