Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Desmond Swayne and Saqib Bhatti

Wednesday 15th November 2023 Commons Chamber

[Sir Desmond Swayne (New Forest West) (Con)]

1. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to tackle online fraud.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology (Saqib Bhatti)]

Tackling fraud is a priority for this Government. The Online Safety Act 2023 requires regulated companies to mitigate the risk posed by fraud and scams on their services. In addition, Ofcom will publish codes of practice recommending steps for companies to take.

[Sir Desmond Swayne]

What will companies actually have to do under the terms of the Act?

[Saqib Bhatti]

All companies in scope of the Act will need to take action to tackle fraud where it is facilitated through user-generated content or via search results. They must take measures to prevent fraudulent content from appearing on their platforms, and swiftly remove it if it does so. Additionally, there will be a duty on the largest social media platforms and search engines that will require them to tackle fraudulent adverts on their services.