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Online Safety Act Enforcement: What OFCOM Can Actually Do to Platforms

Published 9 July 2026

The Online Safety Act gave OFCOM enforcement powers that escalate from polite requests to existential threats. Information request. Enforcement notice. Fine up to £18 million or 10% of global turnover. Court order to cut off payment processors. Court order to block the platform from the UK entirely. Here is what each step means.

Disclaimer: General information, not legal advice.

OFCOM Five-Step Enforcement Ladder 1. Information Request — OFCOM demands data on compliance (ss.100-101) 2. Enforcement Notice — Requires specific action within a deadline (s.130) 3. Financial Penalty — Up to £18m or 10% of global annual turnover (s.140) 4. Business Disruption — Court order to cut off payment processors and advertisers (s.141) 5. Access Blocking — Court order to block the platform from the UK entirely (s.142) Steps 1-3 active. Steps 4-5 not yet deployed. CPA 2026 s.250 expands corporate liability for senior managers.
Five steps, escalating severity. Most regulation happens at steps 1-2.

What Has Happened So Far

OFCOM has focused on information gathering: requiring platforms to submit risk assessments and respond to compliance questionnaires. This is deliberate — building an evidence base before escalating. The approach mirrors how the FCA and Ofgem operate. The CPA 2026 s.250 now makes senior managers criminally liable for obstructing OFCOM investigations.

Platform Duties vs Individual Offences

OFCOM enforces against platforms. The police and CPS enforce against individuals. Both systems operate simultaneously. A platform that fails to remove illegal content faces OFCOM enforcement; the person who posted it faces criminal prosecution. They are complementary, not alternatives.

Practical Takeaways

  1. OFCOM enforcement is real and active.
  2. The ladder escalates — most regulation is at steps 1-2.
  3. CPA 2026 raised the stakes for senior managers.
  4. Platform duties and individual offences operate together.

Sources