The father of 14-year-old Molly Russell, who killed herself after seeing suicide content online, urges Ofcom, the United Kingdom's communications regulator, to act quickly and aggressively when the Online Safety Bill passes.
In order to create a safer online environment, the legislation, which has been under preparation for years, places new legal requirements on significant digital corporations and service providers.
If Parliament passes the Online Safety Bill, Ian Russell believes it will be essential for enhancing online safety. He stressed the need for Ofcom to act right now to implement the bill's protections for vulnerable customers.
Law Must Be Passed Immediately to Address Online Threats
Speaking on the BBC's "Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg," Russell said that, despite the law's possible flaws, it still represented a significant advancement, per The Independent. According to Molly Russell's father, the measure "has been needed for years to counter this new technology, to counter these changes that are happening so fast that society doesn't quite know what to do with."
In Harrow, northwest London, Molly Russell, a student who committed "an act of self-harm while suffering from depression and the negative effects of online content" in November 2017, according to the coroner's findings from last September.
In a statement, Ian Russell urged Ofcom to move fast for other families with "tragic stories" because if the legislation fails to stop dangerous online content for children, "it will have failed." Russell also noted that once the bill passes into law, Ofcom must act boldly "and enact the clauses set out in the bill to make the online world safer for children."
He expressed confidence in the bill's "future-proof" construction, which does not identify technology. Ian Russell recognized the difficulties Ofcom would have in policing some of the richest digital companies in the world, but he also pointed out that the regulator has been hiring more people to deal with issues about online safety.
Regarding prospective fines, including potential jail terms for tech industry CEOs, Russell also noted that "Jail terms for tech bosses are important" because they "focus their minds."
He underlined that these internet companies' corporate cultures need to evolve after two decades of social media dominance.
Online Safety Legislation Faces Some Challenges
Ofcom's representative reacted to Ian Russell's plea for rapid action, saying it is prepared to initiate its work, Planet Radio reported. Once the bill gets royal assent, Ofcom will "set out the first set of standards that we'll expect tech firms to meet in tackling illegal online harm."
Technologies Secretary Michelle Donelan maintained Tuesday that the long-awaited legislation had not diminished encryption specifications.
As a security mechanism, end-to-end encryption hides data and conversations so only the sender and receiver can read them.
Tech companies have expressed worry over sections in the Online Safety Bill that may force them to reveal private communications on end-to-end encrypted communication services.
In September, digital minister Lord Parkinson hinted in the House of Lords that the government may change its strategy, sparking speculation of a compromise on the regulator-tech company.
Following royal assent, the Bill may pass Parliament by Tuesday, according to The Evening Standard.
