Correspondence
Online Safety Act: new criminal offences circular
This circular sets out detail of the new criminal offences in the Online Safety Act 2023.
Documents
Details
This circular is issued to inform the police and other relevant public authorities of certain provisions of the Act, in particular new criminal offences.
The Online Safety Act became law in October 2023 and contains a range of measures intended to improve online safety in the UK, including duties on internet platforms about having systems and processes in place to manage harmful content on their sites, including illegal content.
The Act also introduces new criminal offences and creates Ofcom as the regulator for online safety, granting it new powers including those required to enforce the framework.
Updates to this page
Published 31 January 2024