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AU OSA · AU-OSA-BOSE-SAFE-ENVIRONMENT

AU OSA BOSE Determination 2022, Sections 7-9

Take reasonable steps to ensure users can use the service in a safe online environment, with particular attention to children's safety

HIGHRequirementGovernanceBinding regulationIn forceApplies from 23 January 2022

Where this comes from

Provision: BOSE Determination 2022, Sections 7-9

Instrument: Australia Online Safety Act 2021 - Basic Online Safety Expectations

Citation: Online Safety Act 2021 (Cth), s 45; Online Safety (Basic Online Safety Expectations) Determination 2022, ss 7-9

Text version: Online Safety Act 2021 (Cth), current compilation incl. Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024; BOSE Determination 2022 (as amended 2024)

Read the official text ↗

Who it applies to

Likely accessed by children — all of these:

  • Service is likely to be accessed by children under 18

User-to-user interaction surface (any) — any one of these:

  • Service allows user-generated content
  • Service enables direct messaging between users
  • Users can create public profiles

Scope in the source's own terms

  • Social media or relevant electronic service
  • Service available in Australia

What engineering work it implies

  • High Privacy Defaults ConfigurationCovers part of it

    Configure all user-facing settings to high-privacy defaults for child users.

Sample acceptance criteria Landfall generates for this obligation:

  • Content can be flagged (by users and/or automated classifiers) and enters a moderation queue
  • Moderation decisions (allow / remove / restrict / escalate) are recorded with reviewer, reason, and timestamp
  • Priority/expedited handling exists for illegal content and child-safety categories
  • Affected users are notified of moderation actions with a stated reason and appeal path
  • Repeat-offender and re-upload prevention is in place where required

Evidence an auditor expects

  • Policy documentDocument review

    Safety policy compliance

    Documentation showing compliance with Basic Online Safety Expectations

  • Technical controlTechnical audit

    Safety mechanisms

    Technical measures meeting Australian online safety requirements

Questions people ask

Does AU OSA BOSE Determination 2022, Sections 7-9 apply to my service?
It applies when Service is likely to be accessed by children under 18; and at least one of: Service allows user-generated content; Service enables direct messaging between users; Users can create public profiles.
From when does this apply?
AU OSA BOSE Determination 2022, Sections 7-9 applies from 23 January 2022. Its current status is: in force.
What evidence does an auditor expect?
Safety policy compliance; Safety mechanisms.

Find out whether this one lands on you

Landfall's pre-scan answers the applicability question above for your product in minutes, then turns every obligation that applies into traceable engineering tickets with a citation chain your auditors can follow.

Not legal advice. Landfall maps regulatory obligations to engineering work for planning purposes. Its verdicts are not legal advice and create no attorney-client relationship — verify with qualified counsel before relying on them.

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