Ofcom issues guidance on regulation of Video-Sharing Platforms

The 2018 revision to the AVMS Directive introduces a regulatory framework for a new category of service, Video-Sharing Platforms (VSPs). In September the government transposed the framework into the Communications Act. From 01 November 2020 VSP providers must comply with new requirements aimed at protecting users from harmful content. They will need to take appropriate measures to protect children from harmful content and protect the general public from incitement to hatred, violence, and criminal content. Ofcom has powers to take enforcement action in line with its existing enforcement guidelines for regulatory investigations.

Under the new framework, Ofcom must publish guidance on the measures available to VSP providers to protect users. The short guide published today by the regulator sets out its expectations until further guidance on harms and measures is published in 2021, which it plans to consult on early in the new year and publish by the summer.