The House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee have
today written to Dame , Chief Executive of Ofcom, to
raise concerns with the way the regulator is implementing the
Online Safety Act (OSA).
In the letter Committee Chair addresses the additional
safety measures consultation which Ofcom recently conducted.
says that while the
Committee welcome efforts to plug gaps in the existing OSA codes
of practice, there are areas where the proposed new measures do
not go far enough.
Areas of concern flagged in the letter are:
- A ‘loophole' in the proposed new safety measures on
livestreaming by children which would apply to ‘one-to-many'
livestreams but not ‘many-to-many' livestreams.
- The Committee heard evidence from the NSPCC that a minimum
age of 16 should be considered for hosting livestreams and
suggests Ofcom should take note of expert insight received on
this and other areas during its consultation.
- The letter notes that some witnesses described Ofcom's
implementation of the OSA as ‘gradualist' and ‘incredibly slow'
and the Committee urge Ofcom to go ‘further and faster'
particularly in relation to its enforcement work.
- The Committee also ask Dame Melanie what dialogue Ofcom has
had with tech platforms regarding antisemitic abuse posted online
following the terrorist attack on Heaton Park Synagogue on 2
October and how this will inform the proposed new requirement for
social media companies to develop crisis response protocols.
The full letter to Ofcom
is available on the Committee's website here.
