Safety by design code of practice

Safety by design has emerged as a central principle in digital regulation, reflecting a shift
toward tech accountability that requires digital services to assess and mitigate risks to
users from the earliest stages of product development and throughout the entire lifecycle
of the product or service.

While there is broad consensus that safety by design involves proactively building
protections into systems and designing out risks to ensure user safety, there remains
less clarity around the specific measures platforms must adopt and how these principles
translate into operational practice. This code of practice seeks to address that gap by
providing a practical overview of safety by design, within the framework of the Online
Safety Act and Ofcom’s existing codes and guidance.