Ofcom must intensify efforts to police illegal online content, says The Guardian

Ofcom’s £950,000 fine against a US-based suicide forum linked to over 160 UK deaths signals a stepped-up effort by the regulator to make the internet safer. Campaigners against online harms, including relatives of those who died by suicide, are justifiably angry that it took so long to reach this point. Even now, Ofcom is giving the website’s operator an opportunity to address “concerns” and avoid a court order that would block access.

But if enforcement remains a tortuous process, at least the principle is clear. It is illegal to encourage or assist a suicide in England and Wales; in Scotland, such actions could lead to prosecution as reckless endangerment or other offenses. A situation where behavior tolerated online would carry criminal penalties if carried out in person cannot be allowed.

There is a parallel with the government’s recent pledge to bring laws governing online pornography in line with analogue forms such as DVDs and magazines. Belatedly, and in response to effective campaigning, ministers and regulators are working to close the gap between offline rules and the chaos of the internet.

No one should underestimate how hard this is. The internet is dominated by a handful of enormously wealthy US companies over which the UK government has limited sway. Some overseas platforms have reportedly refused to pay Ofcom fines. Earlier this month, Meta announced it is taking the regulator to court over its fees and fines. Loopholes in the law make the regulator’s task harder. Under the Online Safety Act, search engines are required to “minimise the risk” of people encountering illegal content, but not to prevent it. Last week, the suicide forum’s web address was searchable on Google, meaning users could access it via a virtual private network.

Exerting democratic control in the digital space is among the biggest challenges for governments. Rapid technological advances mean the act already needs updating to address the rollout of AI. Rules governing chatbot behavior, particularly with children, urgently need agreement.

But even longer-standing issues remain unresolved, as last week’s resignation letter from Jess Phillips, who quit as safeguarding minister, made clear. The proliferation of child sexual abuse imagery and the huge increase in arrests linked to such material is one of the most disturbing crime trends. Yet according to Ms. Phillips, detailed Home Office plans for a new law obliging tech companies to prevent the exchange of naked images on children’s devices were stalled by Downing Street.

Whatever other considerations may have contributed to Ms. Phillips’s decision in a febrile week of politics, her frustration on that score will be shared by others. The government has pledged to halve violence against women and girls but lacks a convincing strategy. Campaigners were entitled to expect more from Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership, particularly given his background as a former chief prosecutor. There is a debate to be had about the balance between online safety and free expression. But protecting children from sexual abuse and blocking illegal material should be among any government’s priorities. Working with Ofcom, ministers must ramp up their efforts.