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On April 24, 2025, the UK’s Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom—the regulator responsible for enforcing the UK’s Online Safety Act (OSA)—issued its Protecting Children from Harm Online Statement. The statement requires online services to conduct and document a children’s risk assessment in accordance with the OSA by July 24, 2025. Services will be required to implement measures to protect children from content that is harmful to them by July 25, 2025.Continue Reading The UK’s Online Child Safety Duties Are Coming into Force: Steps to Take Now

On March 27, 2025, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) announced a fine of 3 million GBP (3.9 million USD) against a software provider (the company) for security deficiencies following a ransomware incident (e.g., lack of multi-factor authentication (MFA)). This is the first time the ICO has fined a processor under the UK’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This post provides an overview of the decision and outlines the key points companies should consider, including the security measures the ICO expects them to implement.Continue Reading UK Regulator Issues Three Million GBP Monetary Penalty in Connection with Ransomware Attack

On January 14, 2025, the UK government unveiled a proposed framework aimed at combating the rise of ransomware attacks by implementing a payment prevention and reporting regime. This would require companies to not only report all ransomware incidents, but also to declare whether they intend to pay a ransom. The government also announced that it proposes to ban public bodies and infrastructure providers from making ransom payments to cyber attackers. A public consultation is open until April 8, 2025.Continue Reading Ransomware Attacks: UK Government Proposes Ransom Payment Ban and Mandatory Notification Requirements

In the last month, Ofcom, the regulator tasked with enforcing the UK’s Online Safety Act (OSA), has published guidance enacting requirements under the OSA to carry out illegal harms risk assessments and children’s access assessments. Providers of in-scope services must document an illegal harms risk assessment by March 16, 2025, and a children’s access assessment by April 16, 2025. This alert outlines the steps that in-scope services must take to prepare for these deadlines. For more information on the OSA and its phased implementation, refer to our previous blog post here. Continue Reading The UK’s Online Safety Regime Is Coming into Force: Steps to Take Now

The UK’s Online Safety Act (OSA) is a landmark law that will require companies to make online services “safe by design” for all individuals, with a particularly high standard of protection required for children. The OSA was enacted in 2023, and its obligations will come into force in phases throughout 2025 and 2026. This blog post explains how the law will be brought into force, and what companies can do to prepare.Continue Reading Preparing for the UK’s New Online Safety Regime: Timeline and Key Phases

In October 2024, the UK government introduced the Data (Use and Access) Bill (the Data Bill) to Parliament. The Data Bill represents a third attempt by UK ministers to bring about reforms to the UK’s data protection and ePrivacy regimes. If enacted, the Data Bill will introduce changes to the existing regime, including by reducing restrictions on automated decision-making and enhancing powers for the UK’s privacy regulator. It will also lay the groundwork for new “Smart Data” schemes, which will in future require companies operating in certain industries to share data with authorized and regulated third parties.Continue Reading UK Brings Forward Bill to Reform UK Privacy Laws

On April 3, 2024, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) released a statement setting out its priorities for protecting children’s privacy online. The priorities reflect the ICO’s strategy for the next phase of implementing its Children’s code of practice (also known as the “AADC”) and signal a focus by the regulator on the operations of social media and video-sharing platforms (platforms). The ICO will look at platforms’ default settings for children’s profiles, recommender systems and how they obtain consent to the processing of children’s data. The statement also indicates that the ICO will conduct audits of EdTech providers to identify privacy risks and potential noncompliance with applicable legislation.Continue Reading UK Privacy Regulator Details Next Stages of Its Strategy to Protect Children Online