It may have taken longer than many anticipated, but the Online Safety Bill has now passed its final parliamentary debate in the House of Lords. The Bill is now ready to receive Royal Assent although the specific date for that has not yet been announced.
In its recent press release the Government has hailed the introduction of the new law as a "game-changing piece of legislation", claiming that it will make the UK "the safest place in the world to be online".
Once made law, the Bill will be used to impose new legal requirements on providers of internet services and internet search engines. This will put the onus on social media platforms, search engines and other web-based services to address illegal activity and protect users.
The Office of Communications ("OFCOM") will be empowered to act as the online safety regulator. OFCOM has confirmed its intention to publish its draft codes in three phases of consultation following Royal Assent. Those three phases are as follows:
- Phase 1: illegal harms duties.
- Phase 2: child safety duties and pornography.
- Phase 3: transparency, user empowerment, and other duties on categorised platforms.
While OFCOM had previously committed to publishing the draft codes for Phase 1 within 100 days of Royal Assent, it has now confirmed that it will be ready to do so sooner, as the additional time the Bill has spent working its way through Parliament provided additional time for the regulator to prepare these in advance.
As the OFCOM consultations progress, we'll be providing our insight into the proposals being made and their impact for internet users and internet service providers.
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