Making online safer for all

With the development of technology and ease of access to the internet in recent years, concerns for the safety of people online has increased.

In May 2021 the Online Safety Bill was introduced into parliament which aims to make the UK the safest place to go online. A case that has been a catalyst for pushing forward this bill, is the death of Molly Russell; a teenager who ended her life after being exposed to harmful content online. The coroner stated that the death had been caused by “the negative effects of online content”. Cases like this highlight the harm that can be caused by ease of access to certain platforms and demonstrates that online safety needs to be reassessed.

The Government’s guide to the bill states that the bill aims to protect people by implementing a ‘triple shield’ which will ensure that platforms do three things: remove all illegal content, remove content that is banned by their own terms and conditions and empower adult users with tools to remove the content that they wish not to see (children will be automatically prevented from seeing potentially harmful content). Although the rules are enforced on companies, individuals may be targeted by the law, as platforms will be required to takes steps to ban repeat offenders.

The bill proposes to enforce these new laws by putting Ofcom in charge as regulators, in order to ensure that platforms are protecting their users and implementing the new rules. Ofcom will also have the ability to take action, where appropriate, against all relevant online companies globally as long as they are accessible to UK users. These new rules will have a direct impact on many companies that allow users to interact with media and each other online.

All platforms relevant will be required to remove illegal material and will need to update their rules and processes for protecting their users. This has the potential to be a costly and time-consuming venture. Where a platform is seen to have “failed” to protect their users, they will need to answer to Ofcom and may face fines of up to 10% of their revenue. In the most serious of cases, there is potential that a platform can be blocked in the UK, stopping them from generating revenue here altogether.

The bill is currently awaiting the Report Stage in the House of Commons and may be subject to further change.