We speak to Owen Bennett, Ofcom’s Head of International Online Safety, about how online safety policy affects us all in the UK and why international collaboration is so crucial.
Many of us have felt first-hand how our lives online have evolved across the years. Smartphones are ubiquitous, used for social interactions, work, and education. So much of our lives are now online, but we’ve also seen harm proliferate as this technology has developed at such a rapid pace.
Now that Ofcom has been appointed the UK’s online safety regulator, we’re working at pace to consult on how platforms should comply with their duties to protect people – and especially children – online under the Online Safety Act.
For Owen Bennett, Ofcom’s Head of International Online Safety, the stakes are high: “At this moment in time, online safety is certainly among the most pressing public policy issues that we are dealing with as a society.”
“In the last ten years we’ve moved away from technology policy and tech issues being a niche concern, to a world where tech – and tech-related risks – is top of mind for everyone because it affects us all deeply.”
“This isn’t surprising. We’re seeing everyday how digital platforms seep through our whole lives and that it is almost impossible to live in the UK today and not be shaped by technology. But sadly, for many people in the UK – particularly children – the current state of the internet brings as many risks and harmful experiences as it does opportunities.”
Why we must work internationally
Having worked in consultancy roles advising NGOs and trade associations on technology policy issues in the UK, EU and US, Owen now leads Ofcom’s international online safety team. The role involves bringing his expertise in comparable international policies such as the EU Digital Services Act to help Ofcom learn from and collaborate with international partners.
“The kind of online harms and risks that we're trying to address, and the companies we’re trying to reach, are global in nature. Online safety risks don’t just stop at the border, they traverse the world,” he said. “It’s essential that we’re thinking with an international mindset and working with our international counterparts if we are to realise a safer online experience for people in the UK.”
One of the ways Ofcom does this is through the Global Online Safety Regulators Network (GOSRN), a forum through which online safety regulators from access the world can share evidence, expertise, and experiences to enrich their work. And as Owen notes “An increasing number of countries are implementing online safety rulebooks, and it’s important that we cohere and coordinate to both ease cross-border compliance challenges for companies and ensure an effective safety baseline.”
But this work isn’t without his complexities. “One of the challenges we face is trying to ensure coherence with our regulatory partners, while recognising that we might need to do things differently in some areas to achieve what we need to best protect people in the UK.”
What’s next?
As we move into the next phase of our roadmap to regulation, a major focus for Ofcom’s international online safety team is to grow GOSRN and to co-create global online safety norms alongside our international regulatory partners.
Owen said: “As an organisation our focus is preparing for companies to implement the protections that will help people in the UK live safer lives online. As the international team, our job is to ensure our policy experts are joined-up with their international partners, and ensuring our policy work is enriched with the best the world has to offer. Given the nature of this policy area, a lot of the expertise and the key stakeholders that we need to be working with are international.”
Ofcom is moving quickly to put in place measures and guidance for services in scope of the Online Safety Act – and we are ready to hold tech firms accountable for the safety of their users. We’ve just published our consultation on transparency and expect to publish draft guidance on protecting women and girls by Spring 2025, when we will have finalised our codes of practice on protection of children and illegal harms.
Although being one of the world’s first online safety regulators is clearly a huge task, Owen highlights how the commitment and motivation to make the online world safer cuts right across Ofcom. “That’s what is great about working for Ofcom: you have the chance to be part of a mission far bigger than yourself and to contribute to something which will have a real positive impact in people’s lives.”