UK regulator Ofcom is on the hiring offensive as it continues to poach executives from the likes of Meta, Google and Microsoft.
A report by the Financial Times claims a newly created team of close to 350 people will be dedicated to tackling online safety, and it intends to hire 100 more throughout 2024.
The media watchdog was handed fresh powers to oversee some of the largest companies in the world when the Online Safety Act (OSA) became law in the UK last October. The law hands Ofcom the power to hold both large and small platforms responsible for any illegal material, such as terror-related content and child pornography, as well as the duty to protect minors online.
The law was passed following an emotive journey through parliament as bereaved parents of children who turned to suicide after consuming harmful content online, urged politicians to be quicker in holding companies to account.
Ofcom has moved quickly to take advantage of such new powers by quickly assembling a team of executives who have worked for the companies it now seeks to regulate, and it recognizes the responsibility it now has to society to ensure it meets the expectations of its new capabilities as a regulator.
Chief Executive of Ofcom, Melanie Dawes, said: “The expectations are very high, but it is as quick as I’ve ever seen a regulator act. Nothing is ever fast enough.”
How will Ofcom enforce the Online Safety Act?
The regulator has already published lengthy codes of conduct and documents that provide detailed guidance to platforms, which they hope will encourage compliance before they can formally enforce their new powers over the next two years.
It will then have the power to fine companies who fall foul of the rules up to 10% of their annual global turnover and also pursue criminal charges against senior managers who fail in their duty of care.
It is estimated that implementing OSA will cost £166 million by 2025, with £56 million of that being spent by April this year.
While these new powers will likely lead to some legal challenges by companies, the OSA is already attracting executives to Ofcom from some of the largest businesses in the world. It has already led to fears that messaging apps, such as WhatsApp, may be forced to leave the UK market over the law’s encryption demands, with the OSA essentially handing itself the power to access and read encrypted messages to help detect illegal content.
Ofcom’s new director of online safety, Jessica Zucker, who previously led Meta‘s misinformation policy team in Europe, has explained that job cuts in the tech industry over the past two years have led to “overwhelming” interest in roles at Ofcom.
“Those still motivated by online safety and proportionality see Ofcom as the alternative,” she said. “You could do it for one company, or you can do it for an entire industry.”
Featured Image: Photo of Ofcom Chief Executive, Melanie Dawes, by Ofcom
