United Kingdom: Office of Communications opened consultation on updated draft Illegal Content Codes of Practice for user-to-user services, including fraud reporting measures

On 30 June 2025, the Office of Communications (Ofcom) opened a consultation on the draft Illegal Content Codes of Practice for user-to-user services until 20 October 2025. These codes outline measures for fraud reporting, including ICU D14, which mandates large services at medium or high risk of fraud to establish dedicated reporting channels for trusted flaggers, such as law enforcement and regulatory bodies. The measure requires providers to publish clear policies on these channels, engage with trusted flaggers to understand their needs, and ensure complaints about suspected fraudulent content are reviewed under ICU C1.3. Providers must also seek feedback biennially to improve channel operations and maintain records of interactions. The recommended trusted flaggers include entities such as the City of London Police, the Financial Conduct Authority, and the National Crime Agency. These steps align with the illegal content safety duties under section 10(3) of the Online Safety Act 2023. The updates form part of broader changes including new content moderation measures (ICU C11-C16), enhanced reporting requirements (ICU D15-D17), recommender system safeguards (ICU E2), settings (ICU F3), and user access (ICU H2-H3). Modifications affect existing provisions on content moderation (ICU C1, C4, C9), reporting (ICU D8-D11, D13), settings (ICU F1-F2), terms of service (ICU G1), and user controls (ICU J1-J2).