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Establish new arms-length body or extend Ofcom's powers to regulate digital advertising supply chain.

Recommendation
Tackling online harm means addressing the principles that incentivise and monetise its spread. In line with Principle 3, responsibility, the government should create a new arms-length body—not funded by industry—to regulate and scrutinise the process of digital advertising, covering the complex and opaque automated supply chain that allows for the monetisation of harmful and misleading content. Or, at the least, the government should extend Ofcom’s powers to explicitly cover this form of harm, and regulate based on the principle of preventing the spread of harmful or misleading content through any digital means, rather than limiting itself to specific technologies or sectors. (Recommendation, Paragraph 98)
Government Response

A response document is linked to this report, dated 17 October 2025. Response attribution to this recommendation has not been verified. Read the response document.

Addressee Bodies
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
Timeline
Recommendation age 1.2 yr
Report published 11 Jul 2025