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ARTICLE · 11 DECEMBER 2023

Balancing Act: Navigating Privacy Challenges Under UK's Online Safety Act 2023

Cooley LLP
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The UK's Online Safety Act (OSA) 2023, which became law on 26 October 2023, imposes extensive new obligations on certain types of online service providers, requiring them to protect their users...

United KingdomPrivacy
James Maton
James Maton
Guadalupe Sampedro
Guadalupe Sampedro
Daniel Millard
Daniel Millard
Morgan McCormack
Morgan McCormack
Joanne Elieli
Joanne Elieli
Edward Turtle
Edward Turtle
Corina Demeter
Corina Demeter
Carol Holley
Carol Holley
Carolina Ljungwaldh
Carolina Ljungwaldh
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The UK's Online Safety Act (OSA) 2023, which became law on 26 October 2023, imposes extensive new obligations on certain types of online service providers, requiring them to protect their users by identifying, mitigating, and managing risks relating to illegal and harmful content. Due to its extraterritorial reach, the OSA is expected to regulate approximately 100,000 organisations worldwide.

However, the full implementation of the OSA will not be immediate. Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator, has set out a phased implementation plan that is expected to span about three years, allowing in-scope providers time to adjust to and comply with their new obligations. Ofcom's first consultation with affected services, regarding 'illegal harms', has already opened and will close on 23 February 2024. Its second consultation, on child safety, is due to open before the end of 2023.

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