Ofcom publishes final OSA transparency guidelines, Wikipedia may limit UK access
23/07/2025 | Ofcom
Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator, has published a statement and final transparency guidance for reporting under the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA). The framework supports the third phase of the regulator's online safety regime, outlining when and how Ofcom will exercise its transparency powers.
The guidance aims to inform stakeholders about the practicalities of transparency reporting, including criteria for information providers to publish, how Ofcom will produce its own reports, and stakeholder engagement. Categorised services will be required to publish these reports in accordance with Ofcom's transparency notices.
In related news, ahead of the Protection of Children Codes, which come into effect from 25 July 2025, Mischon de Reya has published a summary of the codes, measures and CRA disclosures to Ofcom.
In related news, The Telegraph (£) reports that Wikipedia could limit access in the UK unless parts of the OSA are changed. Rather than comply with the Act, Lawyers for the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit organisation that helps run the online encyclopaedia, warned it could introduce a "quota-based" system if it is categorised as a "category one" provider. Services that meet such criteria are subject to the strictest OSA requirements, which are designed to prevent children from accessing harmful content online and to stop the spread of illegal posts. As a workaround, Wikipedia could limit the number of UK visitors to avoid exceeding the threshold for category one status.
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