Ofcom investigating failings to prevent exposure to illegal and harmful content.
Ofcom has initiated nine investigations to determine whether several online platforms have violated the country's Online Safety Act.
According to Reuters, the communications regulator is particularly investigating failings to prevent exposure to illegal and harmful content. The probe includes controversial imageboard 4chan, which has drawn complaints over suspected illegal material, and seven unnamed file-sharing platforms potentially hosting child sexual abuse content.
Ofcom is assessing whether these services lacked appropriate safeguards, failed to comply with legal information requests, or did not adequately document risk assessments.
Passed in 2023, the Online Safety Act requires tech platforms to implement rigorous controls, especially for protecting minors.
The regulator also launched an inquiry into First Time Videos, an adult content provider, to verify if it has adequate age verification systems. The enforcement actions signal Ofcom's intent to hold digital platforms accountable under the UK's strengthened online safety framework.
Written by
Dan Raywood is a B2B journalist with 25 years of experience, including covering cybersecurity for the past 17 years. He has extensively covered topics from Advanced Persistent Threats and nation-state hackers to major data breaches and regulatory changes.
He has spoken at events including 44CON, Infosecurity Europe, RANT Forum, BSides Scotland, Steelcon and the National Cyber Security Show, and served as editor of SC Media UK, Infosecurity Magazine and IT Security Guru. He was also an analyst with 451 Research and a product marketing lead at Tenable.
