British Online Safety Bill Will Restrict Social Media

Uploaded on 2023-10-04 in TECHNOLOGY-Key Areas-Social Media, FREE TO VIEW, BUSINESS-Services-Law

British lawmakers have approved an ambitious, but controversial new Internet safety law with wide-ranging powers to crack down on digital and social media companies like TikTok, Google, Facebook and Instagram parent Meta.

In particular, the 300-page bill will also introduce new rules such as requiring pornography sites to stop children viewing content by checking the ages of users to shield underage individuals from exposure to harmful content.

The House of Lords, second chamber of the British Parliament has finally passed a controversial new law aimed at making social media firms more responsible for users' safety on their platforms. The flagship piece of legislation will force social media firms to remove illegal content and protect users, especially children, from material which is presently deemed legal but harmful.

The idea was conceived in a white paper in 2019 but it has been a long and rocky road to turn it into law, with delays and controversies over issues such as freedom of speech and privacy.

The Online Safety Bill has taken years to agree and will force firms to remove illegal content and protect children from some legal, but harmful material. Companies that fail to comply could face fines of up to £18 million or 10% of their global annual revenue, whichever is greater, billions of pounds, in the case of the largest platforms.

"Our common-sense approach will deliver a better future for British people, by making sure that what is illegal offline is illegal online," says technology secretary Michelle Donelan. "It puts protecting children first, enabling us to catch keyboard criminals and crack down on the heinous crimes they seek to commit."

Children's charity thNSPCC said the law would mean a safer online world for youngsters, however some critics say this will allow a regulator, and tech firms to dictate what may or may not be said online.

While the act is often said to be for reining in Big Tech, government figures have suggested more than 20,000 small businesses will also have to comply. Platforms will also need to show they are committed to removing illegal content including:

child sexual abuse
controlling or coercive behaviour
extreme sexual violence
illegal immigration and people smuggling
promoting or facilitating suicide
promoting self-harm
animal cruelty
selling illegal drugs or weapons
terrorism

Other new offences have been included in the bill, including cyber-flashing and the sharing of "deepfake" pornography. Oversight and enforcement of this legislation will fall under the authority of the British telecom regulatory authority, Ofcom.

BBC: Sky: ABC News: Great Driffield Radio: My Local: Tech Times: Forbes

Image: Thomas Park

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