*/
The winning essay is ‘Invisible Violence: Restoring the Sight of the Online Safety Act 2023’ by Wasim Iqbal
Brief summary
The Online Safety Act 2023 aims to make the UK ‘the safest place to be online’, yet allows platforms to rely heavily on AI moderation systems to meet their statutory duties. This risks leaving serious harm unrecognised and regulatory enforcement weakened or delayed.
How and why did you pick this topic?
I was struck by the growing reliance on automated systems to assess online harm, without clear visibility over how those decisions are reached.
When the law depends on processes it cannot properly scrutinise, accountability begins to erode. I wanted to examine how this gap arises within the Online Safety Act 2023, and whether greater transparency could be introduced without undermining the Act’s objectives.
The proposal ultimately focused on a simple question with far-reaching consequences: how can the law regulate harm it cannot see?
The full essay is reproduced below.
Wasim Iqbal is the winner of the Bar Council's Law Reform Essay Competition 2025.
Brief summary
The Online Safety Act 2023 aims to make the UK ‘the safest place to be online’, yet allows platforms to rely heavily on AI moderation systems to meet their statutory duties. This risks leaving serious harm unrecognised and regulatory enforcement weakened or delayed.
How and why did you pick this topic?
I was struck by the growing reliance on automated systems to assess online harm, without clear visibility over how those decisions are reached.
When the law depends on processes it cannot properly scrutinise, accountability begins to erode. I wanted to examine how this gap arises within the Online Safety Act 2023, and whether greater transparency could be introduced without undermining the Act’s objectives.
The proposal ultimately focused on a simple question with far-reaching consequences: how can the law regulate harm it cannot see?
The full essay is reproduced below.
The winning essay is ‘Invisible Violence: Restoring the Sight of the Online Safety Act 2023’ by Wasim Iqbal
Update from the Chair of the Bar
By Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group
Modernising communication and collaboration at a leading Chancery set. A Zexi case study
How to build profile without compromising professional duties. By Naumaan Farooq, Co-Founder of Inked PR
Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs, examines the role of cut-off levels, and the wider range of factors that must be considered when interpreting results for family court proceedings
Endometriosis Awareness North, a charity raising awareness of endometriosis and supporting those affected across the North of England, has received a £500 boost from AlphaBiolabs via the company’s Giving Back initiative
A decade of reviews and research has disrupted accepted thinking in the search for causality. Suicides following abuse have overtaken domestic homicides. Is the law keeping up? Professor Susan Edwards KC (Hon) examines recent cases and the obstacles to successful prosecution
The case against judge-only justice – and why efficiency is not enough. By Professor Leslie Thomas KC
Heritage as an anchor and a compass, finding our common humanity and embracing the power of the outsider – Melina Antoniadis’s lessons learnt
Seeing the full picture – Baljit Ubhey OBE outlines the CPS action plan to tackle violence against women and girls, offering insights directly relevant to courtroom practice
Lauren Fullerton examines the how, what and why of setting up a second chambers base
