The UK government has published its Online Harms White Paper with new online safety laws aimed at making the UK the safest place in the world to be online.
Technology and social media companies will be legally required to protect users and will face tough penalties for non-compliance. An independent regulator will be appointed to enforce the new standards, with social media firms obliged to comply with a mandatory 'duty of care' to protect users and tackle illegal and harmful activity on their services. The regulator will have effective enforcement powers, with the Government consulting on powers to impose substantial fines, impose liability on individual senior managers, and block access to sites.
The Online Harms White Paper will tackle a range of harms including inciting violence and violent content; encouraging suicide; cyber bullying; disinformation; and children accessing inappropriate content. There will be strict requirements for firms to take tougher action against terrorist and child sexual abuse/exploitation content.
The new proposed laws will apply to all companies that allow users to discover or share user generated content or interact with one another online. This includes social media platforms, public discussion forums, search engines, messaging services and file hosting sites.
The Government is also consulting on whether the new regulator should be a new or existing body. This regulator will be funded by industry in the medium term. A 12-week consultation on the new proposals has been launched on 08 April. The Government has also published its updated Digital Charter, alongside the White Paper. The Digital Charter helps to protect citizens, increase public trust in new technologies, and create the best possible basis for the digital economy and society.
In response to the publication of the White Paper, Prime Minister Theresa May said that the government had listened to campaigners and parents and was putting a legal duty of care on internet firms to keep people safe, and that online companies must start taking responsibility for the platforms and help restore public trust in their technology. Digital Secretary Jeremy Wright said that the era of self-regulation for online companies was over after voluntary actions from industry to tackle online harms had not delivered. Home Secretary Sajid Javid said that social media firms and tech giants have a moral duty to protect the young users they profit from, adding that harmful and illegal content was still too easily available online despite repeated calls for action.
