Call for evidence: Third phase of online safety regulation

We are seeking evidence to inform our codes of practice and guidance on the additional duties that will apply to some of the most widely used online sites and apps.

Under the Online Safety Act, all in-scope tech firms must put in place appropriate safety measures to protect users from online harms. In addition, providers of some online services – known as categorised services – will have to comply with extra requirements if they fall into one of three categories, known as Category 1, 2A or 2B. Alongside our call for evidence, we have also today published our advice to Government on the thresholds which would determine whether or not a service falls into Category 1, 2A or 2B.

The extra duties for categorised services include giving users more tools to control what content they see, ensuring protections for news publisher and journalistic content, preventing fraudulent advertising and producing transparency reports. Different duties apply, depending on which category a service falls into.

The Act requires us to produce codes of practice and guidance outlining the steps that companies can take to comply with these additional duties. We are inviting evidence from industry, expert groups and other organisations to help inform and shape our approach. A formal consultation on the draft codes and guidance will follow in 2025, taking account of responses to today’s call for evidence.

If you have questions about this call for evidence, please get in touch with os-cfe@ofcom.org.uk.

Responding to this call for evidence

Please submit responses using the response form (ODT, 151.3 KB).