Websites could be fined or blocked in the UK if they fail to tackle “online harms” such as child abuse or radicalisation under government proposals which have been unveiled.
The National Crime Agency and the head of Counter Terrorism Policing in the UK have both welcomed the Online Harms Paper, which was published for consultation on Monday, 8 April.
The White Paper — which was leaked last week — proposes directly regulating social media companies for the first time, with senior executives facing fines if they fail to block damaging content such as terrorist propaganda or live streaming of child abuse.
The regulations would create a statutory “duty of care” for social media companies such as Facebook and Twitter to protect young people who use their sites.
The rules would be overseen by an independent regulator, funded by a levy on internet companies.
“Voluntary actions from industry to tackle online harms have not been applied consistently or gone far enough,” said Media Secretary Jeremy Wright.
“Internet companies have been slow to acknowledge their social responsibility and although they are now doing more to prevent harmful material such as child abuse imagery or terrorist propaganda, I'm delighted to see the government move decisively to make the internet a safer place for us all,” said the National Police Chiefs' Council lead for public protection, Chief Constable Simon Bailey.
“These new regulations will assist…
