Source · Select Committees · Women and Equalities Committee
Recommendation 27
27
Accepted
Ofcom's hateful content investigation scope is too narrow, lacking confidence in consequences.
Conclusion
We welcome Ofcom’s investigation into the adequacy of social media companies’ actions in the removal of hateful content and potential strengthening of the Code of Practice. This work is urgent, yet only one company will be investigated over the next four months and we lack confidence that there will be any significant consequences if failings are found. (Conclusion, Paragraph 109)
Government response summary AI-generated
The government agrees with the committee, then describes the Online Safety Act and other existing measures aimed at regulating online content and ensuring accountability for platforms.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government · verbatim extract
Accepted
On the Committee’s point regarding Ofcom’s wider capacity to enforce the OSA, Ofcom’s spending cap allows it to deliver on its duties under the OSA, having received a significant uplift to its spending cap in 2025/26 compared to 2024/25. This uplift reflects Ofcom’s increased duties as implementation of the Act progresses. Ofcom has recruited an expert online safety team from various sectors including regulation, tech platforms, law enforcement, civil society and academia. As of 2025/26, Ofcom has 556 full-time equivalent staff working on online safety across its teams. Its staffing model allows resources to be deployed dynamically across teams to meet evolving demands. Ofcom has robust enforcement powers under the Act, including the power to issue financial penalties for non-compliance. As of February 2026, Ofcom has launched investigations into 94 sites since compliance became enforceable, including issuing 8 fines to 5 providers. In the most serious cases, Ofcom can impose business disruption measures. These are court orders that require third parties to withdraw services or block access to non-compliant regulated services.
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