Tech platforms could possibly be compelled to forestall unlawful content material from going viral and restrict the power for folks to ship digital items to or file a toddler’s livestream, below extra on-line security measures proposed by Ofcom.
The UK regulator revealed a session on Monday looking for views on additional protections to maintain residents, notably youngsters, safer on-line.
These might additionally embrace making some bigger platforms assess whether or not they should proactively detect terrorist materials below additional on-line security measures.
Oliver Griffiths, on-line security group director at Ofcom, stated its proposed measures search to construct on present UK on-line security guidelines however sustain with “consistently evolving” dangers.
“We’re holding platforms to account and launching swift enforcement motion the place we’ve issues,” he stated.
“However know-how and harms are consistently evolving, and we’re all the time how we are able to make life safer on-line.”
The session highlighted three essential areas wherein Ofcom thinks extra could possibly be achieved:
- stopping unlawful content material going viral
- tackling harms at supply
- giving additional protections to youngsters
The BBC has approached TikTok, livestreaming platform Twitch and Meta – which owns Instagram, Fb and Threads – for remark.
Ofcom’s vary of proposals goal quite a few points – from intimate picture abuse to the hazard of individuals witnessing bodily hurt on livestreams – and range in what kind or dimension of platform they might apply to.
For instance, proposals that suppliers have a mechanism to let customers report a livestream if its content material “depicts the danger of imminent bodily hurt” would apply to all user-to-user websites that enable a single consumer to livestream to many, the place there could also be a danger of exhibiting criminality.
In the meantime potential necessities for platforms to make use of proactive know-how to detect content material deemed dangerous to youngsters, would solely apply to the biggest tech corporations which current increased dangers of related harms.
“Additional measures are all the time welcome however they won’t handle both the systemic weaknesses within the On-line Security Act,” stated Ian Russell, chair of the Molly Rose Basis – an organisation arrange in reminiscence of his 14-year-old daughter Molly Russell, who took her personal life after viewing hundreds of photographs selling suicide and self-harm.
He added that Ofcom confirmed a “lack of ambition” in its strategy to regulation.
“So long as the main target is on sticking plasters not complete options, regulation will fail to maintain up with present ranges of hurt and main new suicide and self-harm threats,” Mr Russell stated.
“It is time for the prime minister to intervene and introduce a strengthened On-line Security Act that may deal with preventable hurt head on by absolutely compelling corporations to determine and repair all of the dangers posed by their platforms.”
The session is open till 20 October 2025 and Ofcom hopes to get suggestions from service suppliers, civil society, regulation enforcement and members of the general public.
It comes as tech platforms look to deliver their providers according to the UK’s sweeping on-line security guidelines that Ofcom has been tasked with implementing.
Some have already taken steps to attempt to clamp down on options that specialists have warned could expose youngsters to grooming, similar to by way of livestreaming.
In 2022, TikTok banned youngsters raised its minimal age for going reside on the platform from 16 to 18 – shortly after a BBC investigation discovered a whole lot of accounts going reside from Syrian refugee camps with youngsters begging for donations.
YouTube just lately stated it could improve its threshold for customers to livestream to 16, from 22 July.
