In early September, UK's new Prime Minister Liz Truss confirmed that the controversial Online Safety Bill would return to the House of Commons for some changes.
This is due to the concerns over the bill's impact on free speech. Even though the bill has been drafted for years, Prime Minister Truss said she would push for the changes because she does not want to affect the country's freedom of expression.
Online Safety Bill Changes
On Tuesday, Sept. 20, the UK's new secretary of state, Michelle Donelan, spoke to BBC Radio 4's Today and confirmed the incoming changes to the bill. She also hinted that the said changes would lift the restrictions on posts deemed harmful but legal.
Donelan did not provide details of the exact changes that will be made on the bill, but she said that the changes would focus on lifting the restrictions for adults while protecting the contents that children see online.
The bill raises questions on how social media platforms do not verify the age of their users and how they fail to prevent minors from being exposed to harmful content such as hate speeches and harassment.
Also Read: UK Wants Tech Firms to Verify User Identity to BLOCK Anonymous Trolls
According to TechCrunch, Donelan was also asked on BBC Radio 4's Today about the possibility of criminal liability for senior executives of social media companies.
The Online Safety Bill includes holding senior executives accountable if their respective companies fail to cooperate with requests for data.
Online safety campaigners also call for the prosecution of senior executives, with some suggesting fines and prison sentences.
But Donelan confirmed that the suggested forms of prosecution are not currently in the bill, but the House of Commons may look at expanding provisions in the said area.
What to Expect from UK's Online Safety Bill
According to BBC, the Online Safety Bill is expected to do three things. First, the bill is set to prevent the spread of illegal content and harmful activities such as hate speeches, abusive posts, images of child abuse, racism, and terrorist material.
Second, the bill is set to protect children from seeing harmful materials online. And third, the bill is expected to protect adults from harmful content online.
Social media companies that fail to comply with the new rules could face fines of up to $20 million or 10% of their annual global turnover, whichever is highest, according to Bloomberg.
Once the bill becomes law, there are five aspects that it will tackle. First, it will disrupt grooming pathways and prosecute anyone attempting to groom a minor online.
Second, the law will examine how offenders use social media platforms to reach out to vulnerable users and abuse them. Third, the law will appoint a manager responsible for children's online safety.
Fourth, the law will give the government more powers to combat abuse in private messaging, and it will target end-to-end encryption offered by WhatsApp, Telegram, and other private messaging apps.
Lastly, a statutory body will be set up to represent the interests of children.
Related Article : the UK Expands the Scope of the Online Safety Bill to Include Scam Ads
