Home » ISO Articles » Online Safety: Preventing Harmful Content
Online Safety: Preventing Harmful Content
Overview
For businesses functioning online, it is vital to consider what impact your services and content have on the safety of digital spaces. Ideally, internet users should be able to browse the internet and utilise services without compromising their data, privacy or well-being. All internet users have the duty of posting responsibly, however this duty is especially applicable to businesses and organisations, for which legislation needs to be followed. Communication and digital safety legislation is designed to increase online safety, encouraging businesses to have a positive effect in digital spaces and prevent harmful activity.
Legislation related to online safety
The following three acts are significant examples of online safety legislation, applying to most businesses that function online in some capacity:
- Online Safety Act 2023 – This act aims to regulate online services within the UK, holding digital platforms accountable for the content they host. The goal is to protect individuals from harmful content, focusing especially on protecting children. Under this act, platforms have a duty of care, needing to ensure prohibited content is removed and that user-generated content is moderated. The act also addresses advertising offences, preventing misinformation in advertisements.
- Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 on a Single Market For Digital Services (Digital Services Act) – Like the Online Safety Act, this EU Regulation is designed to regulate online services to ensure safety and protect user rights, effecting countries within the EU. This includes increased accountability and transparency for service providers, user rights protection and safeguards, and enforcement measures for non-compliance.
- Malicious Communications Act 1988 – Longer standing acts such as the Malicious Communications Act 1988 can also affect online services. This act makes any offensive or threatening messages a criminal offence, including any communication ranging from letters to electronic communication.
Affects on businesses
Many businesses are affected by online safety legislation. One of the most common ways businesses are affected is through using social media platforms for promotion or customer interaction. However, businesses with their own websites are also affected, especially those who utilise search engines or allow for user-generated content. Lastly, advertising and marketing lies under this legislation, needing to be both appropriate and accurate to the service or product being marketed.
Due to the wide array of online safety measures the legislation covers, there are many potential tasks and changes that it could require from your business. The following list highlights 5 key affects:
- Content Moderation – Especially relevant in cases of managing user-generated data, you may be required to implement some form of content moderation to keep inappropriate and harmful content from featuring on your platform. This could include automated and/or manual moderation.
- User Rights – User rights include the ability to appeal content moderation decisions. It also applies to data collection, with users having the right to be provided with transparent information about what data is stored and how it is used.
- Disinformation – Disinformation is prohibited under the Online Safety Act 2023, meaning that advertising materials need to be reviewed to ensure they do not contain misleading information or infringe on intellectual property rights.
- Age Checks – The duty of care to protect children from inappropriate content means that your site could require age checks for it to be accessed.
- Transparency Reports – Lastly, you may be required to provide a transparency report as a way of ensuring you are complying with the law. This may include proving you have applicable policies in place or supplying evidence of suitable moderation efforts.
Complying with this legislation ensures that your business makes the right impression on online spaces. These steps can help reassure customers that you are trustworthy, as well as being a great way to promote a culture of responsibility and safety that enhances your business.