In early 2025, we'll be launching a tool to help you check how to comply with illegal content duties.
The tool will be divided into four steps that follow Ofcom’s risk assessment guidance. Following these steps will help you to comply with the illegal content risk assessment duties, and the linked safety duties and record-keeping and review duties.
The time required to complete each step will vary.
Step 1 - understand the harms
Step 1 will help you to know which kinds of illegal content to assess, and to make accurate judgments about your risks.
Step 2 - assess the risk of harm
Step 2 will help you use evidence to assess and assign a risk level to: the risk of harm to users encountering each of the 17 kinds of priority illegal content and other illegal content; and also the risk of harm of your user-to-user service being used for the commission or facilitation of a priority offence.
Step 3 – decide measures, implement and record
Step 3 will help you identify any relevant measures to implement to address risk, record any measures you have taken, and make a record of your assessment.
Step 4 - report, review and update
Step 4 will help you understand how to keep your risk assessment up to date, and put in place appropriate steps to review your assessment.
Based on your answers to questions asked within the tool, we will provide you with compliance recommendations for your service. It will be of most use to small and medium sized businesses but could be useful to any in scope service provider.