Ofcom criticised over ‘checklist’ approach to Online Safety Act

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Andy Burrows, chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation, said new online safety laws have some “pretty clear systemic weaknesses” in how Ofcom is implementing them, and called for the Government to intervene and create a strengthened version of the Act. Speaking to Sky News, Mr Burrows said the current approach of Ofcom setting out codes of practice for tech platforms to follow meant that some of the biggest sites could “scale back” their safety measures and still be compliant with the Online Safety Act. But Mr Burrows said the Molly Rose Foundation’s “fear” is that the UK was “going backwards” on children’s online safety. He said: “Our polling shows 85% of parents want a new Act and I think if the Government has the ambition and the bravery to fix this Act and to tackle these issues once and for all, parents watching this right across the country this morning will cheer the Prime Minister on.” An Ofcom spokesperson said: “Our codes of practice set out robust measures – many of which are not currently being used by the largest and riskiest platforms – that will significantly improve safety for all users, especially children.