UK Implements Tough New Online Safety Rules to Protect Children and Combat Illegal Content

UK regulator Ofcom has released its first guidelines for tech firms to comply with the Online Safety Act, which aims to tackle illegal content such as child sexual abuse material, terrorism content, and fraud. The guidelines propose that tech platforms be proactive in removing illegal content and implement measures like blocking strangers from sending direct messages to children and using hash matching to detect and remove illegal material. Compliance with the guidelines will be voluntary, but failure to comply could result in fines or even blocking of offending sites in the UK. The guidelines also cover other illegal harms like harassment and the supply of drugs and firearms. However, controversial issues such as end-to-end encryption and AI-generated content will be addressed in future consultations.