Illegal and harmful content

Today we've published an open letter to online service providers operating in the UK about the increased risk of their platforms being used to stir up hatred, provoke violence and commit other offences under UK law, in the context of recent acts of violence in the UK.

Tackling illegal content online is a major priority for Ofcom. In recent days, we have seen appalling acts of violence in the UK, with questions raised about the role of social media in this context.

Ofcom is today consulting on strengthening its draft illegal harms codes of practice and guidance under the Online Safety Act, by specifying animal cruelty and human torture as types of content that platforms must tackle.

This page provides information about an addition to our earlier illegal harms consultation, to include animal cruelty and human torture content as types of content that platforms must tackle.

We are consulting on draft guidance to help services, and other stakeholders, to understand when and how we might use these powers.

The user-safety practices of tech firms will be put under the spotlight under draft transparency reporting plans announced by Ofcom today.

The Online Safety Act makes businesses responsible for keeping people, especially children, safe online. Here’s what you need to know and do now.

Our draft transparency reporting guidance, which is open for consultation until 4 October 2024.