If the first few weeks are anything to go by, this year is likely to be another one of whirlwind developments for those of us working on online safety regulation globally. Amongst all the messy data points, there’s some overarching policy trends on which I’ll be keeping a keen eye (1/9):

Urban mobility is amongst the lowest hanging fruits in the race to net zero. That we can't maintain the public policy environment that facilitates net zero in urban mobility (in this case, practices that reduce the incentive for individual car ownership) is a travesty.

Several years ago, when doing postgraduate research into the regulatory failure that precipitated the 2008 financial crash, a causal factor that I came across repeatedly in the literature was the lack of political backing for FS regulators to do their job. www.politico.eu/article/us-s...

'Why Europe Could Block X Over Grok Scandal But Probably Won’t' I've written a piece for @techpolicypress.bsky.social on why European regulators are unlikely to reach for the biggest hammer in their toolbox, as they seek to regain the initiative. www.techpolicy.press/why-europe-c...

Following receipt of information from X on Friday, UK regulator Ofcom has decided on Monday to open a formal investigation into potential breaches of the Online Safety Act's risk assessment, illegal content, and protection of children duties. www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safet...

Sigh. Le Reset 2.0 threatens to be another circular round of futile cherry picks. The notion that 'the EU needs us more than we need them' on financial services is precisely why the sector *should* be part of HMG's mix for negotiations on Reset 2.0 . www.ft.com/content/8d9a...

Underscoring its commitment to advancing freedom of expression globally, the US gov has withdrawn its longstanding support for the Freedom Online Coalition, an intergovernmental movement the core mandate of which is to advance FoE where ever it is challenged. Go figure. www.state.gov/releases/off...

Reflecting on the latest round of kite-flying and briefings, it's increasingly clear that there was a 'moment' post-UK 2024 general election when an ambitious reset of the UK's post-Brexit relationship was possible, and the UK government didn't seize it. It's unlikely to reappear in the medium-term.

Bluesky friends, after three and a bit years in the hotseat, I'll be leaving my role as Ofcom's Head of International Online Safety at the end of this year 🌍

A month out from the UK Online Safety Act's age assurance duties kicking-in, large and small porn platforms have today signaled their intention to implement protections to protect children from viewing adult content. www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safet...

My international online safety team at @ofcom.bsky.social is hiring! We're looking for someone to lead policy areas and manage relationships internationally, as we implement the UK Online Safety Act alongside counterpart rulebooks across the world 🌐 ⬇️ ofcom.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/Ofcom_Career...

Looking forward to delving into the draft DSA guidelines on protecting children online. A cursory review suggests high-level coherence with what @ofcom.bsky.social is asking of companies under the UK OSA. Positive for children and for regulated companies digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/c...

Interesting article on the potential for Ireland to become a leader in safety tech internationally. I would add compliance professional services to this e.g. compliance auditing, compliance consulting, etc). www.siliconrepublic.com/enterprise/i...

If, like me, you haven't had the time or the headspace to closely engage with the published DSA risk assessments and audit reports, this article from @markscott.bsky.social is a great primer. www.techpolicy.press/5-things-to-...

A big day today for the Global Online Safety Regulators Network, as we publish our three-year strategic plan and annual report for 2024. These documents set out where we're coming from and where we want to go to as a regulatory community (1/4) www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/...

Welcome Oliver Griffiths, who has joined Ofcom to lead our implementation of the Online Safety Act. Oliver brings a wealth of international regulatory experience, and joins as we gear up for a crucial year of delivery. www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/...

How X assesses the risks of its own platform, in one handy overview. (From its own DSA risk assessment released today) transparency.x.com/content/dam/...

By the far the best interviewer the BBC has. An incredible loss to the organisation. www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/...

There's been a lot of focus on Australia's proposals to restrict social media access for under-16s recently. Something which has gone under-reported is that the government is also currently reviewing the national online safety act, and has been signaling significant policy ambition (1/2).

This week is a big one in DSA land, as the initial set of designated VLOP/SEs are expected to publish versions of their Y1 risk assessment and audit report. My special interest in all this stems from the fact that platforms will be completing similar such assessments in the UK by March 25 (1/3)

Job-ad: EU sherpa for Keith Starmer, £153,000 - £200,000 annual salary www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/jobs.cgi...

The Global Online Safety Regulators Network held its annual meeting last week, bringing together regulators from Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania. For Ofcom it's an honour to be elected chair of the Network again for 2025, working alongside newly-elected vice-chair Coimisiún na Meán. Ever forward.

Last Friday, Ofcom, DG CNECT, and the AU eSafety Commissioner came together to discuss regulatory coordination and coherence in our respective approaches to the online child protection. A fantastic day of discussions on cutting-edge policy, and an important statement of internationalist intent.