Navigating the Online Safety Act: A Practical Guide

Navigating the Online Safety Act: A Practical Guide is an in-depth guide to the Online Safety Act 2023 (the OSA), and the requirement for platforms to introduce extensive measures in relation to certain types of online content.

The book covers a wide range of issues, including:

• The context that led to the enactment of the OSA
• Pre-OSA positions regarding platform liability, and changes implemented by the OSA, in particular the onus placed on platforms to take proactive steps regarding certain types of content
• The services affected by the OSA, such as user-to-user services and search services
• Key obligations to which platforms are subject and how these are likely to apply in practice
• The role of Ofcom as the principal regulator of the OSA, including key elements of the Codes of Practice and guidance it has issued
• The consequences of non-compliance and details of the new criminal offences created by the OSA
• The way in which the OSA seeks to achieve a balance between protecting people online and preserving rights to freedom of expression
• Discussion of where the OSA may have missed opportunities to protect people online, and the overall outlook in relation to online harms

The book also considers areas of concern not covered by the OSA, such as mis- and dis-information and in addition discusses the OSA's interaction with technological developments such as generative AI.