The Online Safety Act 2023

This is a 30-minute PowerPoint presentation dealing with Part 10 of the Online Safety Act 2023.

Hugely important for anyone working in criminal Law – whether for the defence or for the prosecution

Part 10 came into force in its entirety on the 31st January 2024 as a result of Statutory Instrument 2024 Ni.31

Part 10 is very important and creates new offences concerning communications – they are dealt with in Sections 179 – 184

Part 10 also repeals existing offences under the Malicious Communications Acts of 1978 and 2003 and Sections 33 – 35 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 – Section 189

Part 10 also inserts new offences into the Sexual Offences Act 2003 concerning the sending or threats to send intimate photographs or film.

Learning Objectives:

• The new false communication offence
• The new threatening communication offence
• Offences concerning the sending or showing of flashing images
• Offence of encouraging or assisting serious self-harm
• Offence of sending photographs or films of genitals
• Offences dealing with sharing or threatening to share intimate photographs or film