Digital Policy Lab: Policy Digest #18

Policy Digests offer an overview of recent digital policy developments in Digital Policy Lab (DPL) member countries, including regulatory and non-regulatory initiatives aiming to combat online harms such as disinformation, hate speech, extremist or terrorist content. 

Australia released a report reviewing its Online Safety Act. Australia published Online Safety Industry Standards under its Online Safety Act. The European Union’s Code of Practice on Disinformation was approved for integration into the EU Digital Services Act. The European Commission withdrew its work on the AI Liability Directive. The European Commission published Guidelines on prohibited AI practices under the EU AI Act. The revised Code of Conduct on Countering Illegal Hate Speech Online (“Code of Conduct+”) was formally integrated into the EU Digital Services Act framework. France implemented technical standards for age verification systems for accessing online pornographic content. Germany introduced a law against digital violence.  The Republic of Korea passed its Development of Artificial Intelligence and the Creation of a Foundation for Trust Bill. The United Kingdom moved its proposed Data (Use and Access) Bill onto the next stage. The United Kingdom announced new laws to tackle AI-generated child sexual abuse material. The United Kingdom issued a statement on tackling intimate image abuse and sexually explicit deepfakes. Ofcom, the United Kingdom’s communications regulator, issued multiple Codes and Guidelines related to the enforcement of the Online Safety Act. The United States’ Take it Down Act passed the US Senate. In the United States, the Kids Off Social Media Bill (SB 278) was introduced in the Senate. The President of the United States signed an executive order prohibiting the federal government from moderating content on online platforms. The President of the United States delayed the enforcement of a TikTok ban. The Paris AI Action Summit 2025 brought together representatives from governments, international organisations, civil society, academia and the private sector.