Online Safety Bill Royal Assent: comment from expert lawyer

Please find below an initial comment from Sarah Pearce, the head of Data Privacy at Hunton Andrews Kurth’s London office. She works with a wide range of the big tech companies advising on issues such as children’s safety online and data protection.

“The Online Safety Bill is a groundbreaking piece of legislation which has been surrounded by tough debate, particularly that pertaining to the balance of protecting personal data and protecting users from online harm. The UK is leading the way and forging ahead with reforms in this area and other jurisdictions look set to follow suit. With the bill passing royal assent, attention is likely to focus on the role of Ofcom in enforcement and any code of conduct the regulator draws up on how to comply with the new rules.”