Online Safety Act Kicks In: Platforms in the UK Must Swiftly Remove Illegal Content or Face Penalties from Ofcom

Beginning March 17, online platforms serving UK users must actively prevent and remove illegal content under new regulations set out in the Online Safety Act. Companies operating in the UK, including those in social media, messaging, search engines, gaming, dating apps, and file-sharing sites, had until 16 March to complete assessments of how likely illegal content is to appear on their services. Now they must tackle it quickly, or face stiff penalties from the UK’s media regulator, Ofcom.

What Happens If Platforms Don’t Comply?

Ofcom will investigate any platform that fails to follow the rules, under threat of severe sanctions. Financial penalties can be as high as £18 million or 10% of the company’s global revenue, whichever is larger. In the most extreme cases, Ofcom may request that a court block the service in the UK.

Protecting Children: Focus on Abusive Content Involving Minors

Ofcom also announced a new enforcement campaign targeting platforms that enable users to upload and share files (file-sharing or file-storage services). Criminals can abuse these services to share harmful images of minors. Because of the severe impact these images have, Ofcom is treating the problem as one of its top priorities.

How do platforms detect these images?

Companies can use specialized software, known as “hash-matching,” to compare new images or videos against known harmful material. This helps them quickly block or remove copies of illegal images.

Ofcom has already sent letters asking several file-sharing providers to prove they are keeping harmful content off their services. If they don’t cooperate, formal investigations may follow.

Ofcom has been working closely with law enforcement and specialist groups, such as the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) and the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, to identify high-risk services and promote best practices.

“We fully support Ofcom’s efforts to ensure harmful material doesn’t continue to spread. We stand ready to help companies meet their new responsibilities and protect children online,” said Derek Ray-Hill, Interim CEO at the IWF.

This focus on file-sharing platforms is just one of several actions Ofcom has taken since becoming the online safety regulator. In January, it began examining how certain platforms verify users’ ages. More recently, Ofcom asked numerous services to submit the risk assessments they conducted before the March 16 deadline.

“Our first priority is to make sure sites and apps do what’s needed to prevent harmful content from being hosted or shared. If they don’t, we will take action,” said Suzanne Cater, Enforcement Director at Ofcom.

Under the Online Safety Act, more than 130 offenses are categorized as “priority,” ranging from terrorism and hate-related offenses to financial crimes and more. When Ofcom rolled out its plan for regulating internet services under the new law, it highlighted eight priorities—especially for larger or higher-risk sites:

1. User Safety First: Platforms must conduct thorough risk assessments, address dangerous content, and designate a senior person to assume responsibility.
2. Protecting Children: Preventing minors from accessing harmful content.
3. Blocking Offenders: Preventing any use of services for harmful materials, and protecting users from unsafe contact.
4. Removing Illegal Posts Quickly: Ensuring that harmful material is removed promptly.
5. Reducing Harm to Women and Girls: Lowering the threat of targeted abuse or intimidation.
6. Fighting Fraud: Cutting the methods scammers use to trick people.
7. Giving Users Control: Allowing more ways, especially for younger users, to manage their online experiences—like safety filters or reporting tools.
8. Boosting Transparency: Showing people how platforms keep them safe and how Ofcom is enforcing the new rules.

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