It's not just Big Tech: The UK's Online Safety Act applies across the board

This article examines how the UK’s Online Safety Act impacts small online forums and services, detailing obligations such as completing risk assessments covering 17 priority illegal content categories by mid-March 2025, implementing Ofcom’s Codes of Practice by September 2025, and facing fines up to £18m or 10% of global revenue for non-compliance. It highlights concerns from small communities (e.g., a cycling forum closing due to compliance burden), clarifies which services must publish risk assessments (34M+ UK users, or 7M+ with reshare and recommender features), and notes that smaller low-risk services may face about 14 practical measures. Ofcom plans a Digital Support Service and provides extensive guidance to help services assess risk and comply.