The UK’s Online Safety Bill, which aims to regulate the internet, has been amended to remove a controversial but important measure.
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LONDON – Social media platforms like FacebookTikTok and Twitter will no longer be obligated to take down “legitimate but harmful” content under amendments to the UK’s proposed online safety law.
The Secure Invoice Onlineaims to regulate the internet, will be amended to remove this controversial but important measure, British lawmakers announced on Monday.
The government says the amendment will help preserve freedom of expression and give people greater control over what they see online.
However, critics have described the move as a “major weakening” of the bill, which risks undermining the accountability of tech companies.
Previous proposals would have tasked tech giants with preventing people from viewing legitimate but harmful content, such as self-harm, suicide and abusive posts online.
Under the amendments – which the government calls the consumer-friendly “three shields” – responsibility for content selection will shift to internet users instead, with tech companies instead required to demand to introduce a system that allows people to filter out harmful content that they do not want to see.
However, it is important that companies still need to protect children and remove content that is illegal or prohibited in their terms of service.
‘Empowering adults’, ‘preserving freedom of speech’
UK Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan said the new plans would ensure that no “future tech company or government can use the law as a license to moderate legitimate views.”
“Today’s announcement refocuses the Online Safety Bill on its original goal: the urgent need to protect children and tackle criminal activity online while protecting freedom of expression. , ensuring technology companies are accountable to their users and empowering adults to make more informed choices about the platforms they use,” the government said in a statement.
The opposition Labor Party said the amendment was a “major weakening” of the bill, however, potentially fueling misinformation and conspiracy theories.
Replacing harm prevention with an emphasis on free speech would undermine the purpose of this measure.
Lucy Powell
shadow culture secretary, Labor Party
“Replacing harm prevention with an emphasis on free speech would undermine the intent of this measure and would encourage abusers, COVID deniers, pranksters, people will feel encouraged to thrive online,” said Shadow Culture Secretary Lucy Powell.
Meanwhile, suicide risk charity Samaritans said increased user controls should not replace tech company accountability.
Julie Bentley, chief executive of Samaritans, said: “The increased control that people have is no substitute for holding websites accountable to the law and this is like the government is taking over. defeat from victory”.
Devil in detail
Monday’s announcement is the latest iteration of the UK’s expanded Online Safety Bill, which also includes guidelines for identity verification tool and new crime to tackle fraud and revenge porn.
It follows months of campaigning by free speech advocates and online advocacy groups. Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter has made moderating online content a new focus.
The proposals are now set to return to the UK Parliament next week, before being intended to become law before next summer.
However, commentators say more honing of the bill is needed to ensure loopholes are addressed before that time.
Matthew Lesh, head of public policy at the free market think tank Institute of Economics.
Media and communications regulator Ofcom will be responsible for enforcing much of the new law and could fine companies up to 10% of their worldwide revenue if they don’t comply.
“There are also other issues that the government has yet to address,” Lesh continued. “Requests to remove content that companies ‘reasonably deduce’ are illegal set an extremely low threshold and run the risk of being automatically pre-emptively censored.”
