Today, MPs and peers argue that all pornography sites should be subject to a legal obligation to stop children accessing them.
A parliamentary committee also called for criminal offences to be created including the promotion of self-harm, ‘cyberflashing’ – sending unwanted obscene pictures – and trolling people on the basis of gender, disability or race.
The law also states that internet fraud should be taken as seriously as terrorist acts under the forthcoming internet laws.
The Government was also urged to create stronger exceptions that would prevent tech giants blocking news content from recognized publishers, unless this is illegal.
They are part of a series of suggestions made by the cross party committee in order to improve the online safety bill before it is presented to parliament. Protecting content in the public interest would ensure that free speech is protected.
Today, peers and MPs argued that all pornographic sites should be subject to a legal obligation to keep children away from them. A parliamentary committee also called for criminal offences to be created including the promotion of self-harm, ‘cyberflashing’ – sending unwanted obscene pictures – and trolling people on the basis of gender, disability or race.
The committee has addressed concerns that the draft bill’s definition of ‘legal but harmful’ content is too vague, calling for crimes to be created to tackle specific issues such as cyberflashing. The committee recommended that pornographic sites should be subject to criminal prosecutions in order to prevent young children from accessing them.
The current bill draft states that this rule only applies to user-generated content sites.
The committee said online scams should be classed as ‘priority illegal content’, meaning platforms are required to stop them appearing in the first place.
It has also urged the Government to bring fraudulent internet adverts – such as those that use fake celebrity endorsements to dupe victims into investing – into the scope of the legislation.
Victims have been tricked by celebrities such as Martin Lewis or Sir Richard Branson. Tory MP Damian Collins heads the joint committee to examine the Online Safety Bill draft. He has heard from victims as well regulators and techno giants.
The joint committee for the online safety bill is headed by Tory MP Damian Collins. He has heard directly from victims and ministers as well as regulators, tech companies, and regulators. He said: ‘The committee were unanimous in their conclusion that we need to call time on the Wild West online. A lack of regulation online has left too many people vulnerable to abuse, fraud, violence and in some cases even loss of life.’
He said: ‘The committee were unanimous in their conclusion that we need to call time on the Wild West online.
‘What’s illegal offline should be regulated online. Big tech is the “land of the lawless” for too long.
‘A lack of regulation online has left too many people vulnerable to abuse, fraud, violence and in some cases even loss of life.’
Long-awaited legislation will require tech giants have a duty to users and protect them from dangerous content. Ofcom will be the regulator, with the ability to fine them up until 10% of their worldwide turnover.
The Government has two months to respond to the committee’s recommendations and the bill is due to be put to Parliament next year.
According to the report, fraud was the largest single crime in the UK for 2020. Nearly 85 percent of the scams relied on the internet.
Studies estimate that victims have lost £2.3billion to fraud over the past year alone, with one in three affected admitting they felt depressed afterwards. But the draft bill currently defines fraud as ‘illegal content’, meaning providers are required to remove such content only after being notified by users.
The committee has recommended the Government change it to ‘priority illegal content’ in order to honour its pledge to properly combat the problem.
There are concerns that criminals will continue to use online advertising to spread their frauds.
The committee’s inquiry heard how criminals would copy the websites of insurance companies and pay for them to appear at the top of search results – above the legitimate site.
The report demanded that paid-for advertisements be added to the bill’s scope.
Frances Haugen is a whistleblower for Facebook. She left after giving evidence at the Joint Committee for the Draft Online Safety Bill in the Houses of Parliament. This was October 20, 2021. This committee heard evidence from researchers, tech executives and whistleblowers like Haugen. Their revelations that Facebook put profit ahead of safety has prompted legislative and regulatory efforts to crack down on hate speech online.
In response to the proposed exemptions for online content from news publishers, the News Media Association – which represents national, regional, and local news organisations in the UK – said it was pleased that the report acknowledged the ‘critical importance of robust and workable protections for freedom of speech’.
The association’s chief executive Owen Meredith said: ‘We note that the report includes a recommendation for Government to work with industry bodies to ensure that the news publisher content exemption is watertight and fit for purpose, and we look forward to engaging with policy makers on this vitally important provision.’
The committee’s report also says tech companies should install a senior manager as a ‘safety controller’, who would ultimately be liable if there was evidence of ‘repeated and systemic failings’ causing serious harm to users.