“The Centre for Protecting Women Online welcomes the intention behind this work but has concerns that the proposals are not yet strong or clear enough to prevent tech-facilitated violence against women and girls.”
Ofcom recently put out a consultation on a new set of recommendations about how online platforms, broadcasters and digital services can help people navigate digital content safely and confidently. The recommendations proposed in the consultation focused on improving user choice, providing practical tools to manage online experiences, supporting critical thinking, and encouraging services to evaluate their impact. These proposals are framed as good practice rather than mandatory requirements and are intended to apply proportionately to different types of services.
The Centre for Protecting Women Online welcomes the intention behind this work but has concerns that the proposals are not yet strong or clear enough to prevent tech-facilitated violence against women and girls. In the Centre’s response, we have outlined that the consultation does not clearly define which organisations the recommendations apply to, which risks excluding smaller or niche platforms and key digital intermediaries. Relying on audience size rather than risk could leave out services where abuse is particularly severe. The treatment of generative AI does not reflect the different risks these tools pose to women and girls safety online.
Our key recommendations to Ofcom are:
- Adopt a clearer and risk-based approach so that all services that contribute to online harm are included.
- Make gendered harms explicit throughout the recommendations to ensure alignment with the UK’s obligations to prevent violence against women and girls in line with international conventions.
- Strengthen expectations on platforms so that protective tools disrupt repeated and coordinated abuse rather than shifting responsibility onto victims.
- Ensure specialist women’s organisations are involved in a meaningful and properly resourced way in shaping design, moderation and policy decisions.
- Require evaluation that includes gender-specific data so the impact on women and girls can be assessed effectively.
The Centre supports Ofcom’s ambition but believes the recommendations need stronger accountability, clearer expectations and a direct focus on preventing harm to women and girls if they are to deliver meaningful protection online.
