The online safety regulator has published new guidance on the measures tech firms should consider using to help better protect women and girls on their sites
Tech platforms failing to shield women and girls online will be publicly named and shamed, allowing users to decide whether to engage with them, Ofcom has announced.
The online safety watchdog explained that besides enforcing new legally binding rules to protect users from harm under the Online Safety Act, it will also “shine a light” on those who don’t proactively make their sites safer.
This move is part of Ofcom’s publication of new guidance aimed at bolstering the protection of women and girls on these platforms, who are often disproportionately affected by online harms. The guidance complements existing legally binding codes on illegal content and child protection already established by Ofcom, which will come into force next month under the Online Safety Act, threatening hefty fines for non-compliance.
The additional guidance outlines various recommendations for tech firms, such as improving technology to prevent intimate image abuse and considering the introduction of tools to detect and address exploitable aspects of their sites by abusers.
Ofcom’s Jessica Smith, who spearheaded the new guidance, has stated that the regulator is ready to wield its powers under the Online Safety Act to call out platforms failing to safeguard women and girls through upcoming online safety transparency reports. “Effectively, what we are going to do is use our information-gathering and transparency powers,” she explained.
“So one of the things we’re committing to do is, once the guidance is finalised and a sufficient period of time has passed, is we’ll publish a transparency report that shines a light on what platforms are doing and not doing to keep their users safe. It’s about putting information out there, so users can be informed and make a choice about where they spend their time online.
“What we’re saying to platforms today is that you have a commercial choice. We know that women spend longer online than men, for example, on a daily basis, and so we think it makes good commercial sense to take their safety seriously.”
She added: “For some platforms, they may not choose to do that, and that is their decision. But as I said, then we will make sure people know what kind of space they are entering into when they go on that kind of platform.”
Ofcom chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes called the new guidance a “call to action for online services”. She added: There’s not only a moral imperative for tech firms to protect the interests of female users, but it also makes sound commercial sense – fostering greater trust and engagement with a significant proportion of their customer base.”
Under the Online Safety Act, platforms will be legally required to follow a new set of duties around protecting users from harm online, with fines of up to 10% of global turnover for those who fail to do so – which could run into billions of pounds for the largest services.
New regulation of the online world has been broadly welcomed, but some charities and campaigners have warned that the current plans have taken too long to implement, and do not go far enough to protect users from harm. In response, Ms Smith said: “We’re at the fairly early days when it comes to implementation of the Act.
“I think we’re still at the stage of testing and implementing the powers that we have now, and I know that this has taken a while, so I really understand people’s frustration. I think when it comes to this particular guidance, we are balancing quite difficult issues. There are issues around free expression.”
Ofcom has now opened a consultation period on the guidance, and Ms Smith said it was vital the regulator also heard from men and boys on the issues raised.
“Obviously, this guidance is focused on women and girls, and we’ve spoken to a lot of survivors and women’s advocacy organisations as part of the process, but it’s also for men and boys – these tools can be for everybody,” she said. “We know boys are more exposed to online misogyny than girls are, so we think that this will have broader benefits and we’re keen to speak to men and boys as part of our consultation process.”
