The United Kingdom’s Online Safety Act has successfully passed its final stage in parliamentary debate, officially becoming law. This legislation mandates that online platforms undertake risk assessments, remove illegal content, and implement measures to safeguard children from online threats. Social media platforms are specifically required to eliminate illegal content, take down material violating platform policies, and enforce user age restrictions to prevent circumvention, particularly targeting child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA).
Impact
Failure to comply with these regulations carries substantial penalties, including fines for both platforms and tech executives, as well as the possibility of imprisonment. The maximum fines for non-compliance are determined as the greater of £18 million (approximately $21.7 million USD) or 10% of the individual’s qualifying worldwide revenue for their most recent complete accounting period. The regulatory oversight of these requirements falls under the newly appointed platform regulator, Ofcom.
Back
