George Billinge

The UK's Online Safety Act (OSA) introduces significant new duties for platforms to protect users online, making robust risk assessments a legal and ethical imperative. This workshop will provide practical guidance on meeting these obligations, tackling challenges in identifying, quantifying, categorising, and mitigating harms across different user groups. We will examine Ofcom’s expectations for conducting risk assessments and equip attendees with the tools to demonstrate compliance and embed meaningful safety practices.

• Understanding the OSA’s requirements for risk assessments, including Children’s and Illegal Harms, but also wider content categories, risk profiles, and Ofcom’s four-stage assessment process.
• Applying effective methodologies for assessing different forms of harm (e.g. illegal content, primary priority content, and priority content) and translating findings into policy and product interventions.
• Reviewing assurance mechanisms - such as age assurance and verification - within the broader risk framework, and their role in preventing inappropriate access or harm.
• Navigating Ofcom’s role as regulator: how enforcement will be applied and expectations for demonstrating compliance.
• Embedding a continuous risk management cycle: monitoring the effectiveness of interventions, maintaining accurate records, and adapting strategies to address evolving threats in a dynamic online environment.