Policy paper

Online harms: interim codes of practice

These codes provide guidance for companies to help them understand how to mitigate the risks from online terrorist content and activity and child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Documents

Interim code of practice on online child sexual exploitation and abuse

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email alternativeformats@homeoffice.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Interim code of practice on terrorist content and activity online

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email alternativeformats@homeoffice.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Details

The interim codes of practice set out the action companies are encouraged to take to address terrorism and child sexual exploitation and abuse online ahead of the online harms regulator becoming operational and issuing full codes of practice.

Given the particularly egregious nature of the threats posed by online terrorism and online child sexual exploitation and abuse, it is important that companies take action to tackle them now. These interim codes set out the government’s expectations and best practice examples of how companies can address these harms.

The interim codes and all the principles contained within them are voluntary and non-binding. Companies should consider factors such as the nature of their services, the underlying architecture of their systems, the risks to their users, and the availability of established or emerging technologies appropriate for addressing the issues identified.

These interim codes of practice are to be read alongside the full government response and the government report on transparency reporting in relation to online harms.

Published 15 December 2020