Tag: OFCOM
Ofcom fines TikTok £1.875m for providing inaccurate data about parental controls
TikTok failed to provide Ofcom with accurate information about its parental controls Delays in reporting the issue disrupted publication of Ofcom’s child safety transparency report Ofcom has today fined TikTok £1.875 million for failing to accurately respond to a formal request for information about its parental controls safety feature. Firms are required, by law, to respond to…
Ofcom fines BT £17.5m for 999 call-handling failures
Network disruption affected 14,000 emergency calls in June 2023 and lasted 10.5 hours Law requires networks to take appropriate steps to prepare for potential outages Ofcom finds that BT was not properly prepared to handle the incident Ofcom has today fined BT £17.5 million for being ill-prepared to respond to a catastrophic failure of its emergency…
Ofcom bans ‘surprise’ mid-contract price rises linked to inflation
Telecoms customers must be told upfront in about any price rises their provider includes in their contract, under new consumer protection rules announced today by Ofcom. In recent years, many major UK phone, broadband and pay TV companies have changed their contract terms to include price rises that are linked to future inflation rates. This…
Social media sites face tougher age checks under new Ofcom rules
Ofcom has warned social media sites they could be banned for under-18s completely if they fail to comply with new online safety rules. The media regulator has published a children's safety draft code of practice, which requires social media firms to have more robust age-checking measures in place. Ofcom boss Dame Melanie Dawes warned any…
Ofcom investigates OnlyFans age verification process
Ofcom has today opened an investigation into whether OnlyFans is doing enough to prevent children from accessing pornography on its site. Under existing regulations that pre-date the UK’s new Online Safety Act, video-sharing platforms (VSPs) established in the UK are required to take appropriate measures to prevent under-18s from accessing pornographic material. In response to…
1 in 4 Kids Under 7 have their own smartphone, claims Ofcom study
Infant school children are increasingly online and given more digital independence by parents, according to Ofcom’s annual study of children’s relationship with the media and online worlds. Around a quarter of 5-7 year-olds (24%) now own a smartphone, while three-quarters use a tablet (76%). Compared to a year ago, a higher proportion of 5-7s go online to…
1 in 4 Under 7s have smartphone, thousands of Tesla Cybertrucks recalled
A quarter of children under seven have their own smartphone, new figures reveal, with some as young as three owning the devices. Research from technology regulator Ofcom found a sharp increase in ownership of the devices by young children and widespread use of apps designed for teenagers. Ofcom’s annual study of technology use across Britain found…
Ofcom rules promise greater protection from unexpected roaming charges
UK mobile customers will be better protected against unexpected roaming charges while using their phone abroad, under new rules just announced by telecoms regulator Ofcom. Following the UK’s exit from the European Union, EU ‘roam like at home’ rules – and UK law requiring mobile operators to alert customers of roaming charges when they start…
Ofcom investigates Virgin Media over migration from analogue to digital landlines
Ofcom has opened an investigation into Virgin Media’s compliance with its rules while migrating customers from analogue to digital landlines. In a statement it said: "We have been clear that during this process telecoms companies must ensure they identify, protect and support vulnerable customers. We are concerned about Virgin Media’s compliance with our rules requiring providers…
Ofcom proposing further action to tackle ‘spoofing’
Ofcom is today proposing to strengthen its guidance on how phone companies should identify and block calls from abroad that falsely use UK numbers, known as spoofing. A common tactic used by criminals to defraud victims is to imitate – or ‘spoof’ – the phone numbers of legitimate organisations, like banks and Government departments. Fraudsters based abroad…
