by Aimee Cartwright
The Online Safety Act UK represents a step in the right direction when it comes to protecting children and adults online.
However, with extra protection comes stricter sanctions– six new criminal offences have been announced as part of the 2023 Act. With a guaranteed rise in prosecutions for online behaviours, how can employers reinforce the principles of the Act within their workplace, and ensure their organisation is free of risk?
Read on to discover how implementing compliant SP Index Social Media Checks into company policies allows employers to solely take on staff whose online presence is safe and risk-free.
Online Safety Act 2023 Summary
Despite the popularity of social media in the UK (and across the world), concerns surrounding its dangers have always circulated.
In 2023, the government responded to the growing anxiety by implementing the Online Safety Act – a set of laws designed to protect all users, but particularly children, online.
With the aim of making the UK “the safest place in the world to be a child online”, the Act imposed protective duties on social media platforms, websites, apps and other services, including:
- Preventing children from accessing harmful and age-inappropriate content
- Providing caregivers and children with clear and accessible ways to report issues online
- Implementing systems and processes to reduce illegal activity
- Taking down illegal content
- Giving users more control over the types of content they want to see
- Using age assurance technologies where an age restriction is in place
New criminal offences were also introduced by the UK Online Safety Act, making it illegal to carry out the following behaviours online:
- Threatening communications
- Cyberflashing
- Epilepsy trolling
- Encouraging or assisting serious self-harm
- Sending false information intended to cause non-trivial harm
- Intimate image abuse
The Online Safety Act is regulated by Ofcom, meaning they will be responsible for ensuring providers adhere to the Act. While all providers must comply with their new duties, Ofcom has expressed that it is the larger services that will be required to take the most action.
How does the Online Safety Act impact employers?
Armed with new enforcement powers, Ofcom has stated that employers working in relevant industries, such as social media and online advertising, will face serious consequences for non-compliance. This may include:
- Fines (up to £18 million or 10% of a business’ annual turnover)
- Criminal prosecution
Though other industries will not be affected in the same way, the Ofcom Online Safety Act has the potential to alter risks within any workplace.
With new online criminal offences introduced, it would be wise for all employers to carefully consider the online behaviours of their personnel. What was once an internal issue may now warrant prosecution – affecting not only the employee, but also the employer and their reputation.
How employers can reinforce the principles of the Online Safety Act within their workplace
Less than two months after the Online Safety Act was passed, a registered sex offender, who sent explicit images of himself to a minor, became the first person in England and Wales to be jailed for cyberflashing. How can employers ensure their workplace is free of such risks?
Using Social Media Checks alongside DBS checks significantly reduces the chances of such individuals causing harm within an organisation and threatening the employer’s reputation.
Social Intelligence Officers carry out professional Social Media Checks to identify patterns of adverse behaviour online. Many times, when an individual is arrested for an offence, their social media reveals risks that their employer was ignorant to.
By consistently checking all members of staff online, employers can trust that their personnel are not linked to adverse online content and are unlikely to be involved with any Online Safety Act scandals.
Conclusion
For employers to keep their workplace risk-free and their reputation intact, they must adopt the principles of the Online Safety Act. How can they do this? By targeting the source – social media.
With objective and compliant SP Index Social Media Checks in place, employers can get valuable feedback on the behaviours of their staff online, in the form of an evidence-based report that highlights any potential risks.
A safer and more powerful alternative to in-house checks, professional Social Media Checks are proven to be careful, consistent and compliant.
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Email: info@sp-index.com
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