The United Kingdom communications regulator Ofcom published its final illegal content codes of practice on 13 August 2024, establishing binding technical and procedural requirements for online platforms under the Online Safety Act. The codes mandate that Category 1 and Category 2A services implement measures including hash-matching databases to detect known child sexual abuse material, URL blocking, content classification systems, and user reporting tools, with proportionate measures scaled to platform risk profiles.
Hash-matching and keyword filters fulfil a compliance obligation but operate retrospectively, after illegal material has been created and shared. Real-time message monitoring with pattern-based threat detection intercepts grooming conversations, sextortion attempts and the private exchange of child sexual abuse material before completion, addressing the harm at the point of contact rather than after distribution. Guardii's anti-grooming, anti-sextortion and anti-CSAM modules analyse direct-message exchanges across Instagram, Snapchat, Discord and Roblox in real time, flagging high-risk contact to parents, schools or safeguarding leads and enabling immediate escalation where a child is in acute danger.
