Section 22 — Code application notice

(1)The competent authority may give notice to a designated provider that a code of practice applies to the designated provider’s service only if —

(a)the code of practice is one that is specifically applicable to the designated provider’s service in relation to any related offence group of that service; or

(b)where the code is one that is generally applicable to a type of online service in relation to any offence group —

(i)the designated provider’s service is of that type; and

(ii)the offence group is a related offence group of the designated provider’s service.

(2)The code application notice must identify the designated provider’s service, the related offence group to which the code of practice relates and the date of application of the code of practice.

(3)The competent authority may, for such time as the competent authority may specify, waive the application of a code of practice (or any part of the code of practice) to a designated provider.

(4)The competent authority may at any time, on the competent authority’s own initiative, cancel a code application notice, and must give written notice of the cancellation to the designated provider that was given the code application notice.

(5)Subject to this section and section 21(3), the designated provider must take all reasonably practicable steps to comply with every code of practice applicable to the designated provider’s service.