The UK government has admitted that regulating tech giants, most of which are based outside of British jurisdiction, will be quite challenging, but authorities plan to oblige companies to appoint a director that would be based in the country.
Tech bosses could be fined or face jail sentences if their companies do not prevent harmful content from appearing on its websites, according to a new plan that would regulate social media in the United Kingdom. In January, British authorities intend to publish their response to a consultation on how the government should respond to violations of standards by tech giants such as Facebook and Google after Britain leaves the European Union.
Ministers reportedly plan to place tech companies under a statutory duty of care with the Office of Communications (Ofcom) monitoring the implementation of these rules. Under the plan, tech bosses could be held personally accountable if their companies do not protect users from harmful content such as violence and child abuse or are found to be spreading harmful information like the drugs trade or terrorism.
“We will legislate to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online — protecting children from online abuse and harms, protecting the most vulnerable from accessing harmful content, and ensuring there is no safe space for terrorists to hide online”, the Conservative Party said in its recently released manifesto.
Last week, the Home Office's head of national…
