Lords Committee to hear from online safety campaigners on Ofcom’s ‘additional safety measures’ consultation

The House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee will next week hear evidence from online safety campaigners as it investigates Ofcom's proposed new measures to protect children online.

Ofcom is consulting on adding further safety measures under the Online Safety Act to its existing codes of practice. The proposed measures include expanding the use of highly effective age assurance and new protections for children producing  livestreams.

On Tuesday 16 September from 2:15pm the Committee will hear evidence from:

• Andy Burrows, Chief Executive Officer, Molly Rose Foundation
• Rani Govender, Policy and Influencing Manager, NSPCC
• Baroness Kidron OBE, Founder, 5Rights Foundation

Questions the Committee will cover with the witnesses include:

• The likely effectiveness of Ofcom's proposed new protections and how Ofcom can keep pace with emerging harms and technologies.

• How concerns about privacy and proportionality regarding use of age assurance technologies can be balanced with delivering strong protections for children.

• Whether the proposed new protections around livestreams are adequate and whether children should be banned from livestreaming altogether.

• How effective proposed measures including hash matching and user bans will be in combating child sexual exploitation and abuse offences online.