Regulation 54A Preventing provision of internet services to or for the benefit of designated personsF1

A person who provides a social media service must take reasonable steps to prevent content that is generated directly on the service, or uploaded to or shared on the service, by a designated person being encountered by a user of the service in the United Kingdom.

A person who provides an internet access service must take reasonable steps to prevent a user of the service in the United Kingdom from accessing, by means of that service, an internet service provided by a designated person.

A person who provides an application store through which an application for an internet service may be downloaded or otherwise accessed must take reasonable steps to prevent a user of the application store in the United Kingdom from downloading or otherwise accessing, by means of that application store, an internet service provided by a designated person.

A person who fails to comply with the requirement in paragraph (1), paragraph (2) or paragraph (3) commits an offence.

In this regulation—

• “content” means anything communicated by means of an internet service, whether publicly or privately, including written material or messages, oral communications, photographs, videos, visual images, music and data of any description;

• “designated person” means a person who is designated under regulation 5 (power to designate persons) for the purposes of this regulation;

• “encounter”, in relation to content, means read, view, hear or otherwise experience content;

• “internet access service” means a service that provides access to virtually all (or just some) of the end points of the internet;

• “internet service” means a service that is made available by means of the internet;

• “social media service” has the meaning given by section 43(3) of the Finance Act 2020.