A group of charities have sent a joint letter to the Home Secretary and Technology Secretary over concerns about the Online Safety Act.
A group of charities, including the NSPCC, Barnardo’s, and others, has warned that the current Online Safety Act’s rules fail to protect children from child sexual abuse on private messaging platforms, particularly encrypted services. In a joint letter to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle, the charities argue that the wording in Ofcom’s codes of practice, which requires platforms to remove illegal content only if it is “technically feasible,” creates a loophole allowing encrypted services to avoid taking down illegal content. This could leave children exposed to abuse, as platforms may claim it is not feasible to remove such content. The charities urge the government to ensure private messaging spaces do not become safe havens for abuse. The letter follows recent data showing over 38,000 child sexual abuse image crimes logged in England and Wales last year.
