UK government strengthens Online Safety Act after years of CCDH evidence on public safety crises

The UK Government has announced amendments to the Online Safety Act that strengthen platforms’ obligations during major incidents and public safety crises.

The new measures follow years of evidence and advocacy from CCDH. Our research into the Southport riots and more recently the Belfast violence, showed how social media platforms have repeatedly failed to stop the spread of illegal hate, incitement, and false information during moments of heightened public tension.

The amendments give force to Ofcom’s work on crisis response protocols and require platforms to better identify, manage and mitigate surges in illegal content during extraordinary events that threaten public safety.   

Closing a gap in the Online Safety Act 

CCDH has consistently evidenced this gap in the Online Safety Act’s framework for responding to major incidents. 

Following the Southport stabbings and subsequent summer disorder in 2024, we convened and chaired an emergency roundtable bringing together government departments, Ofcom, law enforcement and representatives of impacted communities.

The discussion identified a clear problem. While the Online Safety Act introduced important new duties for platforms to tackle illegal content, it lacked mechanisms to ensure rapid and coordinated platform responses during fast-moving crises.

We published policy recommendations calling for dedicated crisis response powers and protocols to address this gap. Those recommendations were based on evidence gathered during and after the 2024 disorder, which showed how false information, hate, and incitement spread rapidly during major incidents and contributed to real-world harm.

Evidence that shaped the debate 

The concerns we raised were recognized by Ofcom’s work on additional safety measures. The regulator highlighted the issue in its engagement with platforms and launched a formal consultation on additional safety measures, including crisis response requirements. CCDH submitted evidence to that consultation, drawing on our research and advocacy following Southport and subsequent incidents. 

Stronger crisis response powers are a must 

Platforms continue to fail during major incidents. Since Southport, CCDH has continued to document how platforms fail to act against illegal hate, incitement and calls for violence that has ended up in our streets. 

• Aug 2025 Southport anniversary:  Online personalities who targeted migrants and Muslims with abuse and lies during the 2024 summer riots built online communities filled with calls for violence and hatred against migrants and Muslims in the year that followed. 
• Oct 2025 Heaton Park Synagogue attack: Antisemitic abuse and calls for violence spread across social media after an attack on a synagogue in Manchester. 
• May 2026 Golders Green attack: Prominent Jewish figures sharing messages of support and grief following the stabbing of two Jewish men in North London were met with antisemitic abuse online and calls for further violence. 
• June 2026 Belfast riots. Major online individuals amplified hate against migrants following attack in Northern Ireland. 

Across these events, our investigations found the same pattern. Platforms repeatedly failed to act against illegal hate, incitement and calls for violence when rapid action mattered most. 

What happens next 

The Government’s announcement represents an important step towards closing the regulatory gap CCDH identified through years of research and advocacy.

CCDH will continue to hold platforms accountable, and support those individuals and groups affected by online hate and calls for violence during public safety crises.

Read the UK Government’s explanatory notes here.