UK Telecom Regulatory Official Defends Online Speech Law

The U.K.’s new online speech law is one of the “most fundamental” tools allowing its telecommunications regulator to shed light on how platforms handle misinformation, Jessica Zucker, Office of Communications (Ofcom) director-online safety policy, said Monday. Speaking at a Silicon Flatirons event, Zucker said the U.K.'s Online Safety Act of 2023 is intended to help tackle online malfeasance at scale with systemic improvements across the internet. The law established a duty of care requiring companies to implement policies for removal of illegal content, like child sex abuse material, and legal but “harmful” content. Zucker stressed the law doesn’t require Ofcom to instruct tech companies to remove individual pieces of content or investigate individual complaints.