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.Continue Reading UK Online Safety Bill Passes Parliament

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 and e-Privacy 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 a variety of technology regulatory and policy issues and developments in the EU and the UK, including advice on the intersection between emerging regulation and privacy rules. She also defends clients in regulatory investigations and inquiries. In her current role, Siobhán gained experience on secondment to the data protection team of a global technology company.
Siobhán’s pro bono work includes providing data protection advice to UK-based human rights charities, volunteering to provide school workshops on consent, and supporting non-profit organizations in conducting legal research for strategic litigation and policy development.