Owen Bennett

In the meantime, we need to find someone to take on this role and help deliver the international dimensions of Ofcom's online safety theory of change.

If that could be you, check out the role here: www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/43...

It's been a fulfilling and rewarding role, but with the UK Online Safety Act now in force and our INTL OS function up-and-running, it feels like a good time for me to take on a new challenge. More on my next step in the new year.

Bluesky friends, after three and a bit years in the hotseat, I'll be leaving my role as Ofcom's Head of International Online Safety at the end of this year 🌍

I'm not usually this bad for functionaire-speak

UK’s major porn providers agree to age checks from next month Children in the UK will gain increased protection from online pornography next month, Ofcom has announced, as major providers agree to bring in robust methods to check users’ age for the first time.

A month out from the UK Online Safety Act's age assurance duties kicking-in, large and small porn platforms have today signaled their intention to implement protections to protect children from viewing adult content.

www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safet...

International Policy Manager Closing Date: 23/06/2025 Group: Strategy and Research Group Management Level: Senior Associate Job Type: Permanent Job Description: Please note that this role will close at 00:01 on Monday 23 June, an...

My international online safety team at @ofcom.bsky.social is hiring!

We're looking for someone to lead policy areas and manage relationships internationally, as we implement the UK Online Safety Act alongside counterpart rulebooks across the world 🌐

⬇️

ofcom.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/Ofcom_Career...

Looking forward to delving into the draft DSA guidelines on protecting children online. A cursory review suggests high-level coherence with what @ofcom.bsky.social is asking of companies under the UK OSA. Positive for children and for regulated companies digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/c...

Could Ireland be a global leader in online safety tech? A new report suggests that Ireland has a strong and emerging safety tech sector, which could put it at an advantage on the global stage.

Interesting article on the potential for Ireland to become a leader in safety tech internationally. I would add compliance professional services to this e.g. compliance auditing, compliance consulting, etc).

www.siliconrepublic.com/enterprise/i...

5 Things to Know about the Digital Services Act’s First Risk Assessments and Audits | TechPolicy.Press Mark Scott says going forward there are ways to improve these lengthy, often unwieldy documents.

If, like me, you haven't had the time or the headspace to closely engage with the published DSA risk assessments and audit reports, this article from @markscott.bsky.social is a great primer.

www.techpolicy.press/5-things-to-...

As 2025 chair of the Network, @ofcom.bsky.social will be kicking off delivery of these objectives, alongside vice-chair Coimisiún na Meán as well as the broader membership. Looking forward to what comes next. (4/4)

Over the next three years we'll be:

🧩 Advancing regulatory coherence between our respective national approaches
📈 Growing the evidence base for online harms and effective mitigations
🤝 Sharing information and insights to promote compliance and regulatory implementation (3/4)

The Network was established two years ago to bring together independent regulators working on online safety from jurisdictions around the world, and now has 25 members and observers from six continents. We're embarking on a well-trodden path - the ICN and GPC are sources of inspiration (2/4)

Global Online Safety Regulators Network sets out priorities for next three years The Global Online Safety Regulators Network has today published its first Annual Report, and its Strategic Plan for 2025-2027.

A big day today for the Global Online Safety Regulators Network, as we publish our three-year strategic plan and annual report for 2024.

These documents set out where we're coming from and where we want to go to as a regulatory community (1/4)

www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/...

Ofcom appoints Oliver Griffiths as Group Director, Online Safety Ofcom has today announced the appointment of Oliver Griffiths as its new Group Director, Online Safety.

Welcome Oliver Griffiths, who has joined Ofcom to lead our implementation of the Online Safety Act. Oliver brings a wealth of international regulatory experience, and joins as we gear up for a crucial year of delivery. www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/...

You are single-handedly building the London DSA circle. Thanks on behalf of everyone 😇

How X assesses the risks of its own platform, in one handy overview. (From its own DSA risk assessment released today) transparency.x.com/content/dam/...

Mishal Husain to leave BBC

By the far the best interviewer the BBC has. An incredible loss to the organisation.
www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/...

Australia was the first country in the world to implement comprehensive online safety regulation, and the first country to establish a dedicated independent online safety regulator. It has a track record in pathfinding policy development. It will be fascinating to see what comes next (2/2).

There's been a lot of focus on Australia's proposals to restrict social media access for under-16s recently. Something which has gone under-reported is that the government is also currently reviewing the national online safety act, and has been signaling significant policy ambition (1/2).

The wait is (almost) over! First risk assessment and audit reports – what will be published, when, and the way forward - DSA Observatory Magdalena Jóźwiak Researcher, DSA Observatory University of Amsterdam By the end of November 2024, the VLOPs and VLOSEs first designated by the Commission on 25 April 2023, are expected to publish the...

This piece from the folks at @dsaobservatory.bsky.social is a helpful overview of what we can expect to see and when. dsa-observatory.eu/2024/11/22/t...

These reports should hopefully tell us something about the scope for international regulatory coherence around risk assessment, and how platforms might seek to build compliance programmes that can scale and flex in response to different jurisdictions' risk assessment requirements (2/3)

This week is a big one in DSA land, as the initial set of designated VLOP/SEs are expected to publish versions of their Y1 risk assessment and audit report. My special interest in all this stems from the fact that platforms will be completing similar such assessments in the UK by March 25 (1/3)

Second Permanent Secretary, European Union and International Economic Affairs - Civil Service Jobs - GOV.UKGOV.UK Search and apply for jobs in the UK Civil Service

Job-ad: EU sherpa for Keith Starmer, £153,000 - £200,000 annual salary www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/jobs.cgi...

The Global Online Safety Regulators Network held its annual meeting last week, bringing together regulators from Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania. For Ofcom it's an honour to be elected chair of the Network again for 2025, working alongside newly-elected vice-chair Coimisiún na Meán. Ever forward.

Last Friday, Ofcom, DG CNECT, and the AU eSafety Commissioner came together to discuss regulatory coordination and coherence in our respective approaches to the online child protection.

A fantastic day of discussions on cutting-edge policy, and an important statement of internationalist intent.