Online Safety
The Working Group is debating protecting the rights of citizens to enjoy a safe digital worldthe new Online Safety Act, in cooperation with Ofcom efforts to implement the new Online Safety Act. This includes exploring the rights of citizens to enjoy a safe digital world; engaging with digital services and content providers; age verification; standards of certification and accreditation; and development of a common vocabulary for systems interoperability.
The Age Verification Working Group originally evolved to support young people's protection under Part 3 of the Digital Economy Bill, which in due course became an Act. The main objective was to address the wider application of age-gating to sectors other than adult, with an assumption that the Digital Economy Act 2017 (DEA) would be likely to act as a template for the roll-out of AV to e.g. knives, e-cigarettes, alcohol, etc.
It was felt that there should be a move away from stigmatising digital ID, towards promoting digital empowerment given that allowing anonymous users to communicate online with children is potentially much more dangerous than requiring ID. There have been further discussions on the ‘right to verify’ and the right to not be contacted by people who are not verified, along with a right to know who is verified and who is not.
Digital Safety Tech Group Meeting Public Summary 11-02-2025 – Implementing the Online Safety Act
Ofcom plans for Implementing the Online Safety Act were outlined in a presentation provided. The Online Safety Act Network aims to keep all those with an interest in the successful implementation of the Online Safety Act engaged and connected. There could be a balance between pursuit of aims to reduce cost of implementation for providers of online services and to reduce harm to vulnerable groups such as children. For introduction of mandatory measures, Ofcom would need more information to provide the necessary evidence.
The Hidden Politics of AI in the
by Professor Alan Brown
Research Director
AI technologies embed political values and power dynamics that reshape organizations, requiring leaders to recognize how these tools redistribute authority and encode specific worldviews.
As someone who has spent considerable time at the intersection of technology and organizational change, my work over recent years has become dominated by two interconnected themes: The Technology of Business and the Business of Technology. The first examines how digital tools have transformed from optional enhancements to the essential infrastructure of modern organizations, while the second explores the unprecedented power wielded by the handful of companies that create and control our digital landscape.
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