Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the implementation of the user identity verification provisions in the Online Safety Act on the Government’s target to halve violence against women and girls.

Ofcom will be consulting on guidance for user identity verification required under the Online Safety Act, following the publication of the categorisation register. The consultation findings will be published as soon as possible, by mid-2027.

The Act requires providers to offer UK adult users features to filter out non verified users; this will help women and girls filter out anonymous abuse more effectively.

The user identify verification requirements will allow users greater protection of their data identity and improves digital inclusion and accessibility.