This consultation is part of the third phase of Ofcom’s implementation of the Online Safety Act 2023, which focuses on bringing greater transparency, accountability and user choice to some of the most widely used online services in the UK. These services are known as ‘Category 1 services’.
Category 1 services have additional duties relating to user empowerment, user identity verification, news publisher content, journalistic content, content of democratic importance, terms of service, complaints, and freedom of expression and privacy impact assessments. We are consulting on a draft Code of Practice and guidance documents to help providers comply with these duties.
We are also publishing our register of categorised services, and our proposals for additional duties on the Fraudulent Advertising Code.
To help stakeholders engage with this consultation, we have also published;
This consultation is open until 2 October. We invite feedback from all stakeholders on the proposals set out in the consultation.
You can respond to our consultation through our webform or response form by email to cat1additionalduties@ofcom.org.uk.
For more information on responding to this consultation and a full list of consultation questions, see annexes 2 and 5.
Responding to this consultation
Please submit responses using our consultation webform or consultation response form no later than 5pm 2 October 2026.
Recorded webinar - Ofcom’s Additional Duties Consultation for Category 1 Services
This webinar provides an overview of Ofcom’s consultation on the additional duties that will apply to Category 1 services under the UK Online Safety Act.
The session explores proposed measures designed to give users greater choice, control and confidence in their online experiences, while promoting transparency and accountability from online platforms.
Based on the consultation, the webinar covers user empowerment tools, user identity verification, protections for news publisher, journalistic content and content of democratic importance, freedom of expression and privacy impact assessments, and requirements relating to terms of service and complaints procedures.
It also explains the policy rationale behind the proposals, the evidence informing them, and how stakeholders can contribute to the consultation process.
This webinar is particularly relevant for online service providers, online safety policy professionals, civil society organisations, academics, legal and compliance teams, and anyone interested in how the Online Safety Act will be implemented in practice.