United Kingdom: Announced Draft Online Safety Act 2023 (Priority Offences) (Amendment) Regulations 2024

On 13 September 2024, the UK Secretary of State tabled the Online Safety Act 2023 (Priority Offences) (Amendment) Regulations 2024, a statutory instrument which aims to amend the Online Safety Act by expanding the list of priority offences under Schedule 7. In particular, the amendment adds the offence of sharing or threatening to share intimate photographs or films to the Online Safety Act's list of priority offences. At the same time, the amendment removes the offence of disclosing or threatening to disclose private sexual material with the intent to cause distress. The Online Safety Act requires platforms to proactively take steps to remove content related to priority offences, as well as take steps to attempt to prevent the appearance of such content in the first place.