On September 19, 2023, the UK’s Online Safety Bill (“OSB”) passed the final stages of Parliamentary debate, and will shortly become law. The OSB, which requires online service providers to moderate their services for illegal and harmful content, has been intensely debated since it was first announced in 2020, particularly around the types of online harms within scope and how tech companies should respond to them. The final version is lengthy and complex, and will likely be the subject of continued debate over compliance, enforcement, and whether it succeeds in making the internet safer, while also protecting freedom of expression and privacy.
Siobhán O’Shea
Siobhán is an associate in the Technology Regulatory group in the London office. With experience in Ireland and the UK, Siobhán advises clients on a range of data protection, information technology, e-commerce and consumer protection issues under EU, Irish, and UK law.
Siobhán advises emerging and established companies in various sectors, including online retail, software and social media. Her practice covers advice on a variety of technology regulatory and policy issues and developments in the EU and the UK, including in relation to online advertising, data protection and consumer law, and the intersection between emerging regulation and privacy rules.
Siobhan’s pro bono work includes providing data protection advice to UK-based human rights charities, and supporting a non-profit organization in conducting legal research for strategic litigation.