UK Regulator Unveils Five‑Point Code to Better Protect Women and Girls Online

Britain's communications regulator, Ofcom, has published a voluntary five‑point code urging technology companies to strengthen protections for women and girls against online abuse. Developed with input from survivors, safety specialists and women's organisations, the code sets out practical measures to reduce "online misogynistic abuse, pile‑ons, stalking and intimate image abuse."

The recommendations include brief prompts that encourage users to reconsider before posting harmful content (without blocking the post), and enforced "timeouts" for repeat offenders to make it harder to use platform features to target people. Platforms are also urged to diversify recommended content to avoid "toxic echo chambers" and to remove financial incentives by demonetising material that promotes misogyny or sexual violence.

To limit coordinated attacks, Ofcom recommends technical steps such as rate limiting to prevent mass posting, tools that allow users to block or mute multiple accounts quickly, and the ability to file and track multiple reports. Safety settings should be bundled and location sharing made opt‑in by default.

On image‑based sexual abuse, the code encourages the use of "hash‑matching" technology to identify and remove non‑consensual intimate images, to blur nudity when appropriate, and to link victims to support services and guidance for reporting potential crimes. Ofcom said it expects firms to test new services for misuse risks and to provide moderators with specialist training on gender‑based harms.

"When I listen to women and girls who've experienced online abuse, their stories are deeply shocking. Survivors describe how a single image shared without their consent shattered their sense of self and safety," said Ofcom chief executive Melanie Dawes. "No woman should have to think twice before expressing herself online, or worry about an abuser tracking her location."

The plan won backing from sports figures concerned about the impact of abuse on participation. Sport England chairman and Olympic champion Chris Boardman warned that harassment of high‑profile athletes deters women and girls from exercising. "Toxic online abuse has terrible offline impacts," he said.

Critics say voluntary guidance will not be enough. Children's online safety NGO Internet Matters warned that many companies may ignore non‑statutory guidance. "If the code is not compulsory, unacceptable levels of online harm will remain," said chief executive Rachel Huggins. Former England footballer Lianne Sanderson, who has faced threats and abuse, argued for stronger identity verification measures to deter anonymous harassment.

Ofcom noted that the recommendations sit on top of the Online Safety Act 2023 and said it is considering whether to make hash‑matching mandatory; consultations on implementation are under way. The regulator will review progress in summer 2027 and may make formal recommendations to government if current laws fall short.

The UK initiative follows related moves elsewhere: Malaysia has announced it may require platforms to verify users' ages to protect children, while Australia is implementing new rules that will bar under‑16s from creating some social accounts and has begun deactivating accounts in line with a new legal ban.