Watchdog’s new codes of practice are not strong enough, says children’s commissioner
The communications watchdog is prioritising the interests of tech companies over the safety of under-18s, according to the children’s commissioner for England.
Dame Rachel de Souza said she warned Ofcom last year that its proposals for protecting children under the Online Safety Act were too weak. New codes of practice issued by the watchdog on Thursday have ignored her concerns, she said.
Requiring social media platforms to deploy “highly effective” age checks to identify under-18s;
Ensuring algorithms filter out harmful material;
Making all sites and apps have procedures for taking down dangerous content quickly;
And ensuring children must have a “straightforward” way to report content.
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