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					<dc:identifier>http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/50/section/33</dc:identifier><dc:title>Online Safety Act 2023</dc:title><dc:language>en</dc:language><dc:publisher>Statute Law Database</dc:publisher><dc:modified>2026-04-07</dc:modified><dc:contributor>Expert Participation</dc:contributor><dct:valid>2026-04-07</dct:valid>
					
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					<ukm:PrimaryMetadata><ukm:DocumentClassification><ukm:DocumentCategory Value="primary"/><ukm:DocumentMainType Value="UnitedKingdomPublicGeneralAct"/><ukm:DocumentStatus Value="revised"/></ukm:DocumentClassification><ukm:Year Value="2023"/><ukm:Number Value="50"/><ukm:EnactmentDate Date="2023-10-26"/><ukm:ISBN Value="9780105702368"/></ukm:PrimaryMetadata>
					

                    
									<ukm:Notes><ukm:Note IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/2023/50/notes"/><ukm:Alternatives><ukm:Alternative URI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/50/pdfs/ukpgaen_20230050_en.pdf" Date="2023-11-24" Title="Explanatory Note" Size="2247892"/></ukm:Alternatives>       
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				</ukm:Metadata><Primary><Body DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/50/body" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/2023/50/body" NumberOfProvisions="248" NumberFormat="default" RestrictExtent="E+W+S+N.I." RestrictStartDate="2026-04-07"><Part DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/50/part/3" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/2023/50/part/3" NumberOfProvisions="58" id="part-3" RestrictExtent="E+W+S+N.I." RestrictStartDate="2025-04-06"><Number>PART 3</Number><Title>Providers of regulated user-to-user services and regulated search services: duties of care</Title><Chapter DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/50/part/3/chapter/3" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/2023/50/part/3/chapter/3" NumberOfProvisions="11" id="part-3-chapter-3" RestrictExtent="E+W+S+N.I." RestrictStartDate="2024-01-10"><Number>CHAPTER 3</Number><Title>Providers of search services: duties of care</Title><Pblock DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/50/part/3/chapter/3/crossheading/crosscutting-duties" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/2023/50/part/3/chapter/3/crossheading/crosscutting-duties" NumberOfProvisions="2" id="part-3-chapter-3-crossheading-crosscutting-duties" RestrictExtent="E+W+S+N.I." RestrictStartDate="2024-01-10"><Title>Cross-cutting duties</Title><P1group RestrictExtent="E+W+S+N.I." RestrictStartDate="2024-01-10"><Title>Duties about freedom of expression and privacy</Title><P1 DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/50/section/33" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/2023/50/section/33" id="section-33">
<Pnumber><CommentaryRef Ref="key-8224d34fdd26680d01a627b70b1fadd2"/><CommentaryRef Ref="key-6eb17a33b8c2ea508de6867b01655eab"/>33</Pnumber>
<P1para>
<P2 DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/50/section/33/1" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/2023/50/section/33/1" id="section-33-1">
<Pnumber>1</Pnumber>
<P2para>
<Text>This section sets out the duties about freedom of expression and privacy which apply in relation to all regulated search services.</Text>
</P2para>
</P2>
<P2 DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/50/section/33/2" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/2023/50/section/33/2" id="section-33-2">
<Pnumber>2</Pnumber>
<P2para>
<Text>When deciding on, and implementing, safety measures and policies, a duty to have particular regard to the importance of protecting the rights of users and interested persons to freedom of expression within the law.</Text>
</P2para>
</P2>
<P2 DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/50/section/33/3" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/2023/50/section/33/3" id="section-33-3">
<Pnumber>3</Pnumber>
<P2para>
<Text>When deciding on, and implementing, safety measures and policies, a duty to have particular regard to the importance of protecting users from a breach of any statutory provision or rule of law concerning privacy that is relevant to the use or operation of a search service (including, but not limited to, any such provision or rule concerning the processing of personal data).</Text>
</P2para>
</P2>
<P2 DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/50/section/33/4" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/2023/50/section/33/4" id="section-33-4">
<Pnumber>4</Pnumber>
<P2para>
<Text>In this section—</Text>
<UnorderedList Class="Definition" Decoration="none">
<ListItem>
<Para>
<Text>“<Term id="term-interested-person">interested person</Term>” has the meaning given by section 227<InternalLink Ref="section-227-7" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/2023/50/section/227/7" DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/50/section/227/7">(7)</InternalLink>;</Text>
</Para>
</ListItem>
<ListItem>
<Para>
<Text>“<Term id="term-safety-measures-and-policies">safety measures and policies</Term>” means measures and policies designed to secure compliance with any of the duties set out in—</Text>
<OrderedList Type="alpha" Decoration="parens">
<ListItem>
<Para>
<Text>section 27 (illegal content),</Text>
</Para>
</ListItem>
<ListItem>
<Para>
<Text>section 29 (children’s online safety),</Text>
</Para>
</ListItem>
<ListItem>
<Para>
<Text>section 31 (content reporting), or</Text>
</Para>
</ListItem>
<ListItem>
<Para>
<Text>section 32 (complaints procedures).</Text>
</Para>
</ListItem>
</OrderedList>
</Para>
</ListItem>
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</P2para>
</P2>
</P1para>
</P1></P1group></Pblock></Chapter></Part></Body></Primary><Commentaries><Commentary id="key-6eb17a33b8c2ea508de6867b01655eab" Type="I"><Para><Text><CitationSubRef SectionRef="section-33" URI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/2023/50/section/33" id="c9o0hbb85-00403">S. 33</CitationSubRef> in force at 10.1.2024 by <Citation URI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/uksi/2023/1420" Class="UnitedKingdomStatutoryInstrument" Year="2023" Number="1420" Title="The Online Safety Act 2023 (Commencement No. 2) Regulations 2023" id="c9o0hbb85-00404">S.I. 2023/1420</Citation>, <CitationSubRef SectionRef="regulation-2-j" URI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/uksi/2023/1420/regulation/2/j" CitationRef="c9o0hbb85-00404" Operative="true" id="c9o0hbb85-00405">reg. 2(j)</CitationSubRef></Text></Para></Commentary><Commentary Type="I" id="key-8224d34fdd26680d01a627b70b1fadd2"><Para><Text>S. 33  not in force at Royal Assent, see <CitationSubRef id="n979f46c2de57469e" SectionRef="section-240-1" URI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ukpga/2023/50/section/240/1" Operative="true">s. 240(1)</CitationSubRef></Text></Para></Commentary></Commentaries></Legislation>