United Kingdom: Office of Communications issued update in its investigation into Nippybox over alleged failure to comply with illegal content duties under Online Safety Act

On 13 October 2025, the Office of Communications (Ofcom) provided an update on its ongoing investigation into Nippybox, the provider of a file-sharing service (Case No. CW/01302/06/25), under the Online Safety Act 2023. After being informed that Ofcom had opened the investigation, Nippybox became unavailable to users in the United Kingdom and, to Ofcom’s knowledge, more widely. Ofcom continues to monitor the availability of the service and is pursuing further lines of inquiry as part of its investigation. The investigation, announced on 10 June 2025, concerns potential non-compliance with obligations to respond to statutory information requests, to complete and retain an illegal content risk assessment, and to implement safety duties relating to illegal content under the Act. These duties, which came into effect on 17 March 2025, apply to regulated user-to-user services and include obligations to assess risks and adopt measures to prevent exposure to priority illegal content such as image-based child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Ofcom issued an information notice on 1 April 2025 requiring a response by 1 May 2025, with non-compliance subject to penalties of up to GBP 18 million or 10% of qualifying worldwide revenue.