Policy Briefing — UK Online Safety Bill Introduced
The UK government introduced the Online Safety Bill to Parliament, granting Ofcom new powers to regulate user-to-user and search services, impose codes of practice, and levy significant fines for non-compliance.
The UK Online Safety Bill (HC Bill 285) was introduced to the House of Commons on 17 Mar 2022, establishing a duty of care regime for online platforms. The draft legislation empowers Ofcom to set binding codes, require illegal content removal, enforce child-safety risk assessments, and mandate transparency reporting, with penalties of up to 10% of global annual turnover and service access restrictions.
- 17 Mar 2022 — Bill introduced. The bill sets obligations for user-to-user services, search services, and pornography providers to mitigate illegal and harmful content.
- 2022 — Ofcom roadmap. Ofcom published consultation plans covering illegal harms, child safety, and transparency reporting once the bill passes.
- 2023 — Parliamentary amendments. Legislators refined duties around age verification, end-to-end encryption, and communications offences before Royal Assent.
Zeph Tech tracks the bill’s compliance codes to guide trust and safety programmes, reporting cadences, and technical controls for UK digital services.