Home / Censorship Advocates / Melanie Dawes
MD
CRITICALUKAdded 2024-01-15

Melanie Dawes

Chief Executive
Ofcom (UK)
Freedom Threat Index79%
SEVERE THREAT TO SPEECH FREEDOM

Profile

Head of Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator with sweeping new powers under the Online Safety Act 2023. Oversees enforcement against platforms including fines of up to 10% of global revenue. Directs one of the most expansive content regulation regimes in the Western world.

Key Actions & Positions

Leading enforcement of the UK Online Safety Act — requiring platforms to remove "legal but harmful" content
Oversees age verification mandates for adult content platforms
Directing internet filtering standards that critics compare to authoritarian models
Issued Codes of Practice that place liability on platforms for user speech

Tags

age-verificationcontent-moderationplatform-liabilityonline-safety-act

Linked Incidents (5)

CRITICAL2024-09-16
UK Online Safety Act — First Enforcement Phase Begins
CRITICAL2025-01-15
UK Mandates Age Verification for Social Media
CRITICAL2025-03-01
UK Reviews Expanding Ofcom Powers Over Encrypted Messaging
CRITICAL2024-08-05
UK Post-Riot Social Media Arrests — Hundreds Jailed for Online Posts
HIGH2024-03-05
UK Ofcom Publishes Online Safety Act Codes of Practice — Platform Liability for User Speech
← Back to Censorship AdvocatesSource: Public Records