Ofcom: Women need to be better protected online

As vigils were held across the country for all those who have suffered gendered and domestic violence on the 25th of November, a change started in the tech world. Ofcom have taken decisive action against the internet’s culture of misogyny and published a set of guidelines for tech companies with the aim of making the internet a safer space for women and girls. 

Published the 25th of November 2025 otherwise known as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the guidelines outline nine areas in which tech companies can improve the safety of their sites for women and girls. These nine areas are sectioned into three groups: taking responsibility, preventing harm, and providing support. Some of the measures proposed include putting accounts in time-out for repeated misuse of a platform and preventing misogynistic accounts from earning advertising revenue related to their posts. 

The guidelines also specifically define the areas of harm facing women and girls online, which now encompass ‘pile-ons and co-ordinated harassment’, as well as misogynistic abuse that doesn’t meet the threshold for illegality. The definitions also acknowledge revenge porn and unwanted exposure to indecent images, self-generated or otherwise. Stalking and coercive control both now have their own definitions, whereas before they were subsections of ‘domestic abuse’. The specific definitions help to provide a language framework to discuss the issues and problems facing women online and identify the misogynistic ideology behind much of the abuse.

The guidelines have been crafted under the the Online Safety Act (OSA) 2023 which requires that online platforms (social media, gaming services, dating apps etc.) assume legal responsibility for protecting people in the UK from illegal and harmful content, especially that which affects women and girls. Ofcom’s guidelines will therefore provide the specific advice on how tech companies can adhere to the OSA, making the law tangible and accessible through practical measures. 

However, Ofcom’s advice is not obligatory nor is it legally binding. In spite of this, Ofcom has stated that if tech companies’ responses aren’t enough, “we will consider making formal recommendations to government on where the Online Safety Act may need to be strengthened”. They plan to keep track of this progress by publishing a follow-up report in 2027 to asses both the efficacy of the guidelines, and how/if tech companies have successfully implemented the advice. 

The publication of these guidelines marks a first step towards not only acknowledging the dangers of the internet in terms of the live culture of misogyny and its real abusive impact on women, but also towards sanctioning and battling this behaviour. Algorithms for online platforms can be easily influenced by extreme ideologies – the creation of incels is evidence enough of this. Online spaces often become geared towards hate, impacting not just women but also radicalising the many young users of these sites. The guidelines hope to break this wheel of harmful ideology.

If successful, Ofcom’s proposals could change how we interact with each other, both online and in person –  a change that is long overdue.