Recognise medical privacy breaches of vulnerable people as online harm.

Rejected 15 signatures

What the petition asks

Amend or clarify the Online Safety Act 2023 & Ofcom guidance to recognise disclosure of medical information about children & vulnerable adults who may lack capacity or be unable to meaningfully consent as a safeguarding risk within Ofcom’s risk framework, & require platform reporting & mitigation.

The Online Safety Act 2023 does not clearly recognise the sharing of medical information about children and vulnerable adults who may lack capacity or be unable to meaningfully consent as a safeguarding risk.
Health data is protected by data protection law, but platforms are not required to treat repeated or monetised disclosure as an online safety concern.
We call on the Government to recognise these disclosures within Ofcom’s risk framework and require platform reporting and safeguards.

Why it was rejected

It was not clear what the petition asked the UK Government or Parliament to do.

We are not clear what the issue is which this petition is seeking action on.

You can start a new petition setting out more clearly the problem which you would like to address via your petition.

Timeline

21 Feb 2026	Petition opened for signatures
26 Mar 2026	Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 15

Status Rejected

Department Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Rejected 26 Mar 2026

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