Online platforms must begin assessing whether their services expose users to illegal material by 16 March 2025 or face financial punishments as the Online Safety Act (OSA) begins taking effect. Ofcom, the regulator enforcing the UK’s internet safety law, published its final codes of practice for how firms should deal with illegal online content on Monday. Platforms have three months to carry out risk assessments identifying potential harms on their services or they could be fined up to 10% of their global turnover. Ofcom head Dame Melanie Dawes told BBC News this was the “last chance” for industry to make changes. “If they don’t start to seriously change the way they operate their services, then I think those demands for things like bans for children on social media are going to get more and more vigorous,” she said. “I’m asking the industry now to get moving, and if they don’t they will be hearing from us with enforcement action from March.” Under Ofcom’s codes, platforms will need to identify if, where and how illegal content might appear on their services and ways they will stop it reaching users.
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