Member

Ofcom acknowledges that not all individual risks have specific measures in the codes. A platform may identify new harmful trends through its mandatory risk assessments, new forms of grooming, emerging harms in virtual reality and the exploitation of artificial intelligence. Yet these risks are not covered by specific measures in the current iteration of the codes, and there is no immediate legal obligation for the platform to address them. This means that vulnerable children are left unprotected in the interim period until the next iteration is consulted on. This is unacceptable; we need urgent assurance that the Government are prepared to address this fundamental flaw, potentially by amending the Online Safety Act to close this loophole and ensure that safe by design is delivered in practice.