Source URL: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/enforcing-the-online-safety-act-platforms-must-start-tackling-illegal-material-from-today/
Source: Hacker News
Title: UK Online Safety Act comes into force today
Feedly Summary: Comments
AI Summary and Description: Yes
Summary: The text discusses the UK’s Online Safety Act and Ofcom’s newly launched enforcement program aimed at regulating online platforms to protect against the sharing of criminal content, specifically child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The immediate compliance measures following the deadline for illegal harms risk assessments highlight essential responsibilities for service providers to ensure user safety and mitigate illegal activities.
Detailed Description: The text emphasizes the obligations imposed on online platforms under the UK’s Online Safety Act, particularly focusing on the recent enforcement initiatives by Ofcom aimed at child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Here are the major points:
– **Deadline for Compliance**: Platforms had until March 16 to conduct illegal harms risk assessments to evaluate the risk of users encountering illegal content on their services.
– **Implementation of Safety Measures**: The next set of obligations requires platforms to implement measures for the prompt removal of illegal content and to prevent its dissemination proactively.
– **Focus on Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM)**: Ofcom prioritizes CSAM enforcement due to the severe risk it poses to victims, highlighting the need for automated moderation technology like perceptual hash-matching to identify and remove harmful content quickly.
– **Assessment and Enforcement**: Ofcom is actively assessing compliance among service providers and has the authority to enforce compliance through fines or legal action.
– Potential fines can reach up to 10% of turnover or £18 million, and severe cases may lead to court applications to block sites.
– **Collaboration with Experts**: Ofcom collaborates with child protection organizations and law enforcement to identify high-risk services and ensure compliance with safety duties.
– **Engagement with Platforms**: The agency is reaching out to both large and small platforms to ensure they understand and meet their obligations under the Act.
– **Continuous Oversight**: Ongoing monitoring of compliance with safety measures is underscored, emphasizing that of particular concern are platforms likely to host illegal content due to their user base or content-sharing nature.
This insight into the UK’s commitment to online safety carries significant implications for security and compliance professionals working in technology and digital services. They must prioritize adherence to such regulations to mitigate legal risks and enhance user safety against online exploitation.