The outlook for online harms regulation

For several years, societies have debated how to regulate the online platforms that host huge volumes of content created by their users. Until now, social media platforms, search engines and messaging platforms have been regulated via an intermittent patchwork of discrete laws in various countries and a raft of self-regulatory initiatives. 

But, after a long incubation period, the second half of 2022 should see the finalisation of two of the most ambitious and holistic regulatory regimes for online harms: the UK’s Online Safety Bill (OSB); and the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA). These laws share common objectives for a mandatory content regulation framework, but have key differences in execution and scope.

In our latest article, featured in our Tech Legal Outlook 2022 - Mid-Year Update we compare and contrast the approach being taken by the UK, post Brexit, and the EU and the impact of the timing and compliance challenge for platforms in scope of the OSB and/or DSA.