How social media will change under Ofcom rules

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Ofcom has revealed when social media companies operating in the UK will need to begin complying with new rules designed to make platforms safer. open image in gallery Technology secretary Peter Kyle has asked Ofcom for an online safety response to summer riots Ofcom chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes said: “The time for talk is over. “We’ve already engaged constructively with some platforms and seen positive changes ahead of time, but our expectations are going to be high, and we’ll be coming down hard on those who fall short.” A number of new criminal offences are laid out as part of the act: cyberflashing, intimate image abuse, and epilepsy trolling. Some experts recently criticised social media laws in the UK as being too lax, after it was found online misinformation made a significant contribution to fuelling far-right riots in July and August.