#online-safety-act
#online-safety-act

Marketing

Our kids are suffering': calls for ban on social media to protect under-16s

Parents and activists are calling for stricter regulations on social media and smartphone use for children under the age of 16.

Some lawmakers in the US and UK are considering banning under-16s from using social media or implementing tougher curbs on their use. [ more ]

www.independent.co.uk

Sunak refuses to back call for social media curbs from mother of Brianna Ghey

Rishi Sunak has declined to support calls for social media apps to be banned on smartphones for under-16s.

The Prime Minister and Education Secretary cited the new Online Safety Act as a means to protect children online. [ more ]

morechild-safety

privacy

Electronic Frontier Foundation

2 months ago

EFF's Submission to Ofcom's Consultation on Illegal Harms

The Online Safety Act (OSA) aims to make the UK the safest place online, but views on harmful content vary. EFF opposes the Act for its potential censorship and privacy infringement. [ more ]

The Art Newspaper - International art news and events

Why artists fear online safety laws will chill freedom of expression

Lawmakers are introducing bills to curb tech companies' neglect of users' data and privacy

The recently passed UK Online Safety Act aims to target the spread of child sexual abuse material and harmful content [ more ]

Theregister

Ofcom publishes UK age verification proposals

UK's communications regulator, Ofcom, has proposed various age check methods for online services under the Online Safety Act.

Privacy activists may oppose these measures, which include credit card checks, facial age estimation, and photo ID matching. [ more ]

BBC News

Brianna Ghey's mother Esther says Online Safety Act does not go far enough

The mother of murdered teenager Brianna Ghey believes that the Online Safety Act is not effective enough in protecting children.

She argues that harmful content would still be seen by young people as it may not be deemed as harmful by the law. [ more ]

www.independent.co.uk

Rishi Sunak considers crackdown on social media use for under-16s

Rishi Sunak is considering a crackdown on social media use for teenagers under 16, with a ban as one option.

The government is planning a consultation in January to assess the harms of social media for young teens. [ more ]

moreharmful-content

BBC News

UK politics

MP urges social media ban for under 16s

Conservative MP Miriam Cates wants under 16s banned from social media and smartphones

She claims there has been a rise in poor teen mental health and children addicted to pornography since 2010 [ more ]

ComputerWeekly.com

1 week ago

EU data protection

Ofcom publishes draft online child safety rules for tech firms | Computer Weekly

Social media firms need to implement effective age-checks and regulate harmful algorithms to protect children online. [ more ]

ComputerWeekly.com

4 months ago

EU data protection

UK government seeks public views on impacts of AI-generated porn | Computer Weekly

The UK government is seeking views on the impact of emerging technologies on the adult entertainment industry as part of its Pornography Review.

The review will explore the use of AI to generate sexually explicit images without consent and will build on the Online Safety Act. [ more ]

Engadget

EU data protection

The UK could require facial scans or photo IDs to view online porn

The UK's Office of Communications (Ofcom) has published draft age-restriction guidelines for online services hosting explicit sexual content as part of the Online Safety Act.

The guidelines require platforms to ensure children are not able to easily access adult content, with fines of up to Â£18 million for non-compliance. [ more ]

The Drum

1 week ago

Marketing

The Drum's Daily Briefing: Apple campaign crushed and Prime launches 'pause ads'

One takeaway is the UK's Online Safety Act holding platforms like Meta and TikTok accountable for children's digital content.

The rise of scent marketing in retail is highlighted as a key strategy to enhance customer experience and brand identity. [ more ]

TechCrunch

4 weeks ago

Artificial intelligence

Internet users are getting younger; now the UK is weighing up if AI can help protect them | TechCrunch

Ofcom in the U.K. plans to explore how AI can be used to combat illegal content online, especially harmful to children. [ more ]

www.independent.co.uk

1 month ago

Man who sent nude picture to teenage girl is jailed under new cyber-flashing laws

Cyber-flashing now a punishable crime

Convicted sex offender jailed for sending explicit images [ more ]

www.independent.co.uk

First ever person in England and Wales convicted of cyber-flashing

The first conviction for the offense of cyber-flashing has occurred in England and Wales.

Cyber-flashing became an offense under the Online Safety Act on January 31, 2022. [ more ]

Theregister

European human rights court says no to weakened encryption

Laws requiring crippled encryption and extensive data retention violate the European Convention on Human Rights.

The European Court of Human Rights decision may impact data surveillance legislation like Chat Control and the UK's Online Safety Act. [ more ]

The Verge