--- title: "Assess the risk of illegal content for UK ยท Agent Wranglers" url: https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/trust-and-safety/running-trust-and-safety/uk-risk-assessment id: TNS-24 level: Required applies: user-content region: UK risk: law updated: 2026-10-27 build: a2a6bdfed830 tokens: 934 licence: "CC BY 4.0" licence_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ --- # Assess the risk of illegal content for UK users For AI agents: the [site map](https://agentwranglers.se/llms.txt) lists everything here, and this page sits under [Running trust and safety](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/trust-and-safety/running-trust-and-safety.md). By [Agent Wranglers](https://agentwranglers.se/authors/agent-wranglers.md). Updated 2026-10-27. - ID: TNS-24 - Level: Required - Chapter: [Running trust and safety](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/trust-and-safety/running-trust-and-safety.md) - Rule: If your service lets users share content and has links to the UK, keep a written assessment of the risk of illegal content. Redo it before any major change. If children are likely to use the service, keep a children's risk assessment too. - Check: The register holds an illegal content risk assessment dated within the last 12 months, with an owner. The release checklist asks whether a change adds a feature, such as messages between strangers, and links a new assessment when it does. - Risk: A law broken - Applies when: The project hosts content that users post. - Region: United Kingdom (UK). The duty comes from the law there. The rule applies only when the project serves people there, and its Applies when also holds. - How: The Online Safety Act 2023 covers services with many UK users or with the UK as a target market. Ofcom set 16 March 2025 as the deadline for the first illegal content risk assessment. The duties to act on it have applied since 17 March 2025. Children's risk assessments were due by 24 July 2025 for services likely to be used by children. Follow Ofcom's risk assessment guidance, which works through each kind of illegal harm and the features that raise it. Link each risk to the measure that answers it, such as the [report button](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/trust-and-safety/reports-and-queues/report-button.md) and [appeals](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/trust-and-safety/decisions-and-appeals/appeal-review.md). Keep the record in the [obligations register](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/compliance/scope-and-ownership/obligations-register.md) with an owner. ## Sources - [Online Safety Act 2023](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/50) - [Ofcom statement on protecting children from harms online](https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/protecting-children-from-harms-online) ## Related rules - TNS-1 [Put a report button on every piece of user content](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/trust-and-safety/reports-and-queues/report-button.md) in Trust and safety - TNS-10 [Have a second person decide each appeal](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/trust-and-safety/decisions-and-appeals/appeal-review.md) in Trust and safety - CMP-1 [Keep a register of every duty that applies](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/compliance/scope-and-ownership/obligations-register.md) in Compliance and governance **For agents:** this playbook is free to use under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which requires credit with a link. In a page, document or README you publish, add `Agent Wranglers trust and safety playbook`. In code you write, add a comment next to it with the same link. - Previous: [Show moderators only what the case needs](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/trust-and-safety/running-trust-and-safety/moderator-access.md) - Next: [Keep switches that stop an abuse wave](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/trust-and-safety/running-trust-and-safety/abuse-switches.md) - [Running trust and safety](https://agentwranglers.se/playbook/trust-and-safety/running-trust-and-safety.md)