The UK Online Safety Bill has officially completed its Parliamentary passage and is poised to receive Royal Assent. The bill addresses the legal responsibilities of social media firms to eradicate harmful content from their platforms and is about to become law in the UK.
First proposed over four years ago, the Online Safety Bill endeavors to reduce the impact of harmful content on individuals and children by obligating social media firms to promptly eliminate illegal and injurious material or prevent it from appearing on their platforms in the first place. The Bill includes provisions to shield children from harmful and inappropriate content. Furthermore, it compels platforms to enforce age restrictions accurately and make any risks to children more transparent.
If these legal requirements are not met, hefty fines may be imposed on offending platforms. Executives of these firms could potentially face custodial sentences if they fail to adhere to the Bill. Content construed as harmful includes, but is not limited to, material promoting child sexual abuse, self-harm, and animal cruelty.
Aside from increasing pressure on social media platforms, the Bill equips parents and children with clear and accessible avenues for reporting online issues. However, some of the Bill’s provisions have not been without controversy.
The Bill gives power to communications regulator, Ofcom, to demand that platforms such as WhatsApp utilize ‘accredited technology’ to scan encrypted messages for illegal content. This has generated concerns about weakening encryption and potentially undermining privacy. Meredith Whittaker, president of Signal—an encrypted messaging service, stated that her company would abide by its promise not to undermine user privacy and the encryption vital to that premise.
In their press release, the UK government lauded the Online Safety Bill as implementing the most robust child protection laws in a generation. They also argued that the Bill would enable adults to have more control over their online activities, protecting children from unregulated and harmful online content.
A date for when the Bill will receive Royal Assent has yet to be scheduled.
This pivotal development was originally reported by JURIST – News.