The UK Just Made a Massive Move to Regulate Sites Like YouTube

The UK government plans to put Ofcom, which oversees traditional TV broadcasts, in charge of keeping sites like YouTube, Twitch and TikTok compliant

Image by Chris Stokel-Walker

Last month we warned regulation is coming to sites like YouTube — and now, regulation will soon be upon UK users of social networks. The Telegraph reports that Ofcom, the current British television regulator, will be tasked with making sure that platforms like YouTube protect users and don’t host “inappropriate” content.

The installation of Ofcom as the initial regulator with oversight of social media firms was predicted by Damian Collins, the head of the UK House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sports committee, when I spoke to him back in June.

And it provides the UK with a first-mover advantage in order to shape the style of global regulation of sites like YouTube, TikTok and Twitch.

As we have previously reported, it seems likely there will be a lowest-common-denominator set of regulation worldwide, with multinational companies working across different jurisdictions deciding to try and standardise their rules so there are as few variations of their platform across countries as possible. (There will…