United Kingdom: Office of Communications (Ofcom) announced investigation into file-sharing and file-storage providers on measures taken to prevent child sexual abuse material (CSAM) under Online Safety Act

On 17 March 2025, the Office of Communications (Ofcom) announced an enforcement programme to assess the measures taken by file-sharing and file-storage service providers to comply with their legal duties under the Online Safety Act 2023 in relation to child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The programme will examine whether providers have implemented appropriate systems to prevent users from encountering or sharing CSAM, including the use of automated moderation tools such as perceptual hash-matching. Ofcom has written to high-risk services, requesting information on their compliance measures and risk assessments, and will engage further with providers to assess compliance. Where potential non-compliance is identified, Ofcom may consider formal enforcement action.