In a letter to Starmer this month, more than 20 child safety organizations including 5Rights said they were “extremely troubled” by reports the government is considering reviewing implementation of the Online Safety Act in U.S. trade talks, something they characterized as “weakening enforcement.”
Thursday’s codes should set “ambitious standards that go beyond codification of existing industry practices,” campaigners urged ahead of their publication.
But Ian Russell, chair of the Molly Rose Foundation, said he was “dismayed” by their “lack ambition.”
Save the kids
In addition to the duties set out in Thursday’s codes, separate duties under the Online Safety Act which entered into force in March require search and social media services to take appropriate measures to detect and remove illegal content from their platforms.
“The new duties on platforms that have just come into force have free speech at their core and are all about protecting people in the U.K. from illegal content and activity like child sexual abuse material and fraud,” an Ofcom spokesperson said. The regulator plans to consult on strengthening these duties later this year.
Those laws would likely fit the government’s definition of “basic protections for children and vulnerable people,” suggesting they would be protected in any negotiations.