Consultation: Technology Notices

We are consulting on two parts of the framework that underpin Ofcom’s Online Safety Technology Notice powers: our proposals for what the minimum standards of accuracy for accredited technologies could be, to inform our advice to Government; and our draft guidance about how we propose to use this power.

Under the Online Safety Act, platforms have a range of new duties, including relating to illegal content. We have set out the steps providers can take to address illegal harms in our Statement: Protecting people from illegal harms online.

Ofcom has additional powers to tackle two categories of illegal content: terrorism and child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA) content. We have the power, where we decide it is necessary and proportionate, to make a provider use a specific technology to tackle terrorism and/or CSEA content, or to develop technology to tackle CSEA content. We would do this by issuing a Technology Notice under section 121 of the Act. Any technology that we require a provider to use will need to be accredited either by Ofcom, or someone appointed by us, against minimum standards of accuracy set by the UK Government, after advice from Ofcom.

We are consulting on two parts of the framework that underpin our Technology Notices powers:

• Minimum standards of accuracy – our policy proposals on minimum standards of accuracy for terrorism/CSEA content identification technologies
• Draft guidance – to providers of regulated user-to-user and search services about how we propose to exercise our Technology Notice powers, when we are able to do so

Responding to this consultation 

Please submit responses using the response form no later than 5pm 10 March 2025.