Search services prevalence research - sale of prohibited items

Ofcom has a requirement for research that will generate a robust evidence base regarding the existence, prevalence and ease of access to content that contains an apparent offer to sell or supply a range of prohibited items or articles, accessible via online search services.

Specifically, we are interested in content that contains an apparent offer to sell or supply:

- Prohibited knives/bladed weapons; - Prohibited offensive weapons (not bladed); - Controlled drugs; - Psychoactive substances; and/or - Articles used in the commission of fraud.

The sale or supply of these items or articles may relate to a series of 'Priority Offences' contained within Schedule 7 of the Online Safety Bill. Under the Bill, search services have a duty to take or use proportionate measures relating to the design or operation of the service to: (a) prevent individuals from encountering priority illegal content by means of the service; and (b) effectively mitigate and manage the risk of the service being used for the commission or facilitation of a priority offence, as identified in the most recent illegal content risk assessment of the service.

By understanding how accessible this content is to UK users via search services, Ofcom should be able to more accurately reflect the scale and type of risks relevant to these platforms in the upcoming Register of Risk, codes of practice and industry guidance, and to recommend suitable mitigations.