The PSA says that the new Code will enable a new approach to regulation that will raise standards, prevent harm, be simpler to comply with, and be underpinned by smarter enforcement.

The PSA has made a number of changes to the Code that it originally consulted on, including:

• amending the wording to some Standards to add clarity and give further certainty;
• removing the requirement for an annual re-opt for subscriptions and replacing it with an annual subscription reminder;
• re-introducing the SKIP function for recurring donations; and
• replacing reference to phone-paid transactions only occurring over “correctly validated HTTPS connections” to “correctly validated and encrypted connections”.

Ofcom has approved the new Code (Code 15), which will come into force on 5 April 2022. To read the PSA’s press release in full and to access the new Code, click here. To read Ofcom’s statement of approval, click here.