Keir Starmer and Grooming Gangs
Keir Starmer and Grooming Gangs

Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces pressure to address Grooming Gangs and significant deficiencies in the Online Safety Act (OSA) as recent research indicates that online child sexual abuse material reached an unprecedented level in 2024.

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), an organisation dedicated to removing online child abuse material, has implored Starmer to intervene due to apprehensions that the OSA may create a “safe harbour” for the perpetuation of abuse.

The organisation requested a reassessment of Ofcom’s regulations, contending that they presently contain a “get out” clause that allows platforms to evade their obligation to remove dangerous content.

Last month, the communications regulator initiated its attempts to enforce the OSA, asserting that 2025 will be “a pivotal year” for online safety.

Nonetheless, IWF chair Catherine Brown asserted that the guidelines are deficient, contending they will permit technology corporations to evade “effectively and proactively” mitigating the harms found in their risk assessments while ostensibly fulfilling their obligations.

In a correspondence to Starmer, she expressed: “We are profoundly apprehensive that the codes permit services to eliminate illegal content solely when it is ‘technically feasible’, which will motivate platforms to circumvent methods for removing illegal content to evade compliance.” This diminishes the act’s efficacy in addressing online child sexual exploitation. We implore you to direct Ofcom to promptly examine and address this overt escape provision.

The release of the codes also underscored the deficiencies inherent in the legislation. The legislation does not require firms to regulate content shared in private communications. Consequently, illicit content that is prohibited on other parts of the internet can nevertheless be disseminated without restriction in private online environments.

She stated, “Further legislation must be enacted to eliminate safe havens for criminals in private communications.”

Recent data disclosed last year indicates that the charity intervened to eliminate materials related to minors experiencing sexual assault or associated links on over 290,000 websites, rendering 2024 the most egregious year on record for online child abuse material.

The recent numbers indicate an 830 percent increase since the IWF commenced content removal a decade prior.

Pressure has been intensifying over the past year for the government to reinforce restrictions under the OSA. Last year, the Molly Rose Foundation implored ministers to “complete the task” after discovering that technology companies were markedly deficient in their obligation to eliminate harmful content from their platforms.

In 2014, while serving as the Director of Public Prosecutions in England, Starmer empowered the IWF to proactively seek out child sexual abuse pictures.

“We require him to act decisively once more. Derek Ray-Hill, interim chief executive of the IWF, stated, “The newly implemented regulations we have diligently established pose significant loopholes for criminals to exploit.”

The Online Safety Act has the potential to be transformative in safeguarding our children, if there is sufficient political and regulatory commitment. Alternatively, it may serve as a testament of inefficacy when confronted with a resolvable issue. The solutions are present, at this moment. They are not unrealistic solutions for the future. They are extant and reliable. Major technology companies merely require directives to activate them.

“Sir Keir possesses the authority to assume leadership and effect meaningful change that will benefit children in the UK and globally.” Their safety is in risk.

A spokeswoman for the UK Government informed Holyrood that the government will utilise “all available levers” to safeguard children online and will “not hesitate to take further action if necessary”.

They stated: “Child sexual exploitation and abuse is abhorrent and has a catastrophic effect on victims.” UK legislation unequivocally states that child sexual abuse is unlawful, and this applies to social media as well. Companies must prevent the proliferation of criminal activity on their premises.

Beginning in March, pursuant to the Online Safety Act, companies will be required to implement stringent measures to address such content upon awareness, including training moderation teams to identify child exploitation and evaluating whether their algorithms are disseminating this material—integrating safety by design into their products from the inception. If corporations neglect to take action, Ofcom possesses strong enforcement authority, including the capacity to impose substantial fines.


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