United Kingdom: Office of Communications closed its investigation into DStorage concerning file-sharing service 1Fichier under Online Safety Act

On 13 October 2025, the Office of Communications (Ofcom) closed its investigation into DStorage, the provider of the file-sharing service 1Fichier, under Sections 9(2), 10(2), and 10(3) of the Online Safety Act 2023. The investigation formed part of Ofcom’s enforcement programme, opened on 17 March 2025, to assess measures adopted by file-sharing and file-storage services that pose heightened risks of exposure to image-based child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Ofcom examined whether DStorage had conducted a suitable and sufficient illegal-content risk assessment and implemented appropriate mitigation, particularly the use of perceptual hash-matching technology recommended in Ofcom’s Illegal Content Code of Practice. Following engagement with Ofcom, DStorage reassessed its risk classification in line with Ofcom’s Risk Profiles and implemented an appropriate perceptual hash-matching solution on 1Fichier. In view of these remedial actions and ongoing monitoring arrangements, Ofcom closed this compliance-remediation phase without further enforcement, while maintaining oversight of 1Fichier’s continued compliance and retaining the broader enforcement programme to evaluate other regulated service providers’ controls against the dissemination of image-based CSAM.