Index/Topics/Online Harms

Online Harms

The Online Safety Act tackles online harms such as serious self-harm, cyberflashing, threatening communications, intimate image abuse, and illegal false communications.

Fact-Checks

5 results
Jan 17, 2026
Most Viewed

What are the specific age‑verification requirements under the UK Online Safety Act and how have other platforms complied?

The Online Safety Act requires online services that host pornography or other defined “primary priority” harmful content to implement “highly effective” age assurance—using age verification, age estim...

Jan 15, 2026
Most Viewed

What precise text in the Online Safety Act mentions client‑side scanning or Ofcom technical notices and how have courts interpreted those clauses?

The Online Safety Act does not use the phrase “client‑side scanning” but creates a mechanism—centralised in Clause 104 and surrounding provisions—that allows Ofcom to issue “technology” or “content‑sc...

Jan 13, 2026
Most Viewed

How do U.S. federal cyberstalking statutes differ from state laws and when do prosecutors use them?

Federal cyberstalking law focuses on interstate or electronic communications and requires a "course of conduct" that causes substantial emotional distress or reasonable fear, creating a distinct feder...

Jan 19, 2026

How have foreign regulators used preservation orders or platform probes to build cases involving AI-generated deepfakes?

Foreign regulators have paired formal preservation or retention orders with platform probes to capture evidence, force corporate cooperation and test emergent liability rules as they build cases aroun...

Jan 15, 2026

How do other major AI providers handle attempts to generate CSAM and how do their policies compare to OpenAI’s?

Major AI developers publicly prohibit creation and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and invest in technical mitigations, collaboration with law enforcement, and industry best-practic...