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Ofcom will be given the power to fine social media companies millions of pounds if they fail to combat misinformation under the UK Government’s updated plans for new online safety laws – but news content will be protected.
Every social media platform accessible in the UK, and any other website or app that hosts user-generated content, will have to remove and limit the spread of illegal content such as child sexual abuse, terrorist material and suicide content.
The Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said the biggest social media sites would also be expected to set and enforce clear terms and conditions stating how they will handle content that is legal but could cause physical or mental harm to adults.
This includes dangerous disinformation and misinformation about coronavirus vaccines. The Government said the measure would “help bridge the gap between what companies say they do and what happens in practice”.
The DCMS made clear that safeguards for freedom of expression will be built into the legislation, with news publishers’ online journalism and reader comments exempt.
There will also be specific measures to protect journalistic content when it is shared on social media platforms.
It is a win for groups such as the Society of Editors and News Media Association who campaigned for a total exemption for journalistic content to be written into the legislation.
Society of Editors executive director Ian Murray said he was pleased the Government had recognised there is no need to include news media in the legislation with its “adherence to high editorial standards and existing strong regulatory bodies”.
But he added: “…however the devil will be in the detail. The digital platforms when faced with huge fines for non-adherence to the new regulations may resort to the use of sweeping algorithms to remove content deemed as harmful. Such measures must have in-built protection for legitimate media content.”
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden (pictured) said: “I’m unashamedly pro-tech but that can’t mean a tech free for all. Today Britain is setting the global standard for safety online with the most comprehensive approach yet to online regulation.
“We are entering a new age of accountability for tech to protect children and vulnerable users, to restore trust in this industry, and to enshrine in law safeguards for free speech.
“This proportionate new framework will ensure we don’t put unnecessary burdens on small businesses but give large digital businesses robust rules of the road to follow so we can seize the brilliance of modern technology to improve our lives.”
[Read more: MPs seek to make teaching children about online misinformation compulsory at schools]
The Government confirmed broadcast watchdog Ofcom will have its remit extended to cover online regulation with its running costs paid by companies in its scope earning above an as-yet unconfirmed level of global annual revenue.
It will be able to fine companies “failing in their duty of care” up to £18m or 10% of their annual global turnover, whichever is higher, and block non-compliant services from being accessed in the UK.
Google owner Alphabet reported revenue of $162bn in 2019, while Facebook made $71bn.
Senior managers could also be given criminal sanctions if their company fails to take the rules seriously, for example by failing to respond to enquiries from Ofcom fully, accurately or promptly.
Dame Melanie Dawes, who joined Ofcom as chief executive in March, said: “We’re really pleased to take on this new role, which will build on our experience as a media regulator.
“Being online brings huge benefits, but four in five people have concerns about it. That shows the need for sensible, balanced rules that protect users from serious harm, but also recognise the great things about online, including free expression.
“We’re gearing up for the task by acquiring new technology and data skills, and we’ll work with Parliament as it finalises the plans.”
The Government’s white paper covering online harms was first published in April 2019 but progress has since been delayed.
The laws are now expected to be brought in an Online Safety Bill next year.
Picture: Parliament
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Observer News Reporter, Guardian Media Group
Senior News Reporter, Guardian Media Group
24.12.20 Sworn Statements Of Fact Truth Reality. The following extracts from our evidence are what the Police have labeled as ‘Must Not Be Revealed To The Public’ Journalism and Internet? ‘Mental Health’. DCMS. ”Safety Bill’..Ofcom. etc. Here’s more-No this is not about a Virus. Our evidence gathered prior to that. This DCMS issue is utter nonsense and dangerous lies. How is it that theres no communication between Govt Depts and people within those Depts? This is a National Scandle. Its a pack of lies.. The extracts from the 1000pp evidence we gathered was given to Govt over 20 yrs ago, and since then. We dont see any aassurance about the Mental Health State of the people mentioned in the article.. The Govt themselves are indicted re wrong and dangerous information which has killed around 30.000 people and even Rail Track are implicated.. We don’t even have access to any HM MP because they ignore mail. We just told a Lab Party Lawyer HM MP that we cannot get any replies from 150 Councillors. 50 Parish Councils. 26 Universities 5 NHS Surgeries incl the one in Mrs Mays village Sonning. Ten Hospitals. Dept Health. Hancock. Genrick and others.. He wrote back with a pre printed sheet saying he was guessing what we wrote about and that we should contact a Councillor or NHS. We are exposing this lunatic in Bristol where the Govt Communities Dept is doing cover ups re Planning Issues and Environmen assisted by Genrick. The three dangers to this society are- Appeasement. Suppression. Journalism. Mental Health. Charities.Sport Art Drama.Universities. How can you mention that. This Govt and its Charity supporters and media have covered all that up for over 30 yrs. How come no one considered our survivability when Police started using violence on us whilst telling us that the evidence about MH can never be revealed to the public .I lay here in intense pain screaming in agony very nite for seven yrs. I prayed for death. I got no competent help whatsoever and no replies from anyone. Here’s even more-
24.12.20 Popular News. Huge Scandal. Press Gazette. Paul Hutchinson Journalist. Welcome to ‘BBC’. We knew over 300 people there and in Cent London Theatre etc. When we started to show them the evidence we were gathering by traipsing Cent London on foot they told us to do this- ‘Hide The Evidence Abroad’. They then started cutting off communication. We went to CH 4. They told us this- ‘It would Take Over a Year To expose All That Evidence Because You Have Too Much’ We then began to experience Police and other attacks. We got death threats from HM Courts. We took on board bodyguards because the HM Coroners were also using violence, Here’s more-
We were told to stop resolving the mental health issues of clients after they had been sent to us as hopeless cases by the NHS and Private System.. They had recd, in some cases 20 yrs of drugging and police violence. They needed 7 hours techniques that work. One of them had been unable to leave the house for ten years but did so after four hours. We were then told to stop because we were taking money away from all sorts of people inc BUPA / Charities and the councils chambers of trade who use victims as cheap labour.We then got ambulances and funeral services sent round and found the police trying to prise our windows open with a pen knife. We began to suffer police attacks which we eventually held off by the use bodyguards. The giant Hospital whose clients and staff were approaching us for help was run by a woman that told us this- ‘Competence Has No Value In Mental Health’. She was supported by Local Govt. Press. Police. HM Coroners. HM Courts. Police and Charities and HM Religion. We got into that place by pretending to be religious and then the staff there said this- ‘She Has Killed People And Its been Covered Up By Police. Local Govt. Local Press. HM Coroners and others Involved with that place was a security firm Chubb and a charity called Mind which Lloyds Bank gives money to. Its all about the drugs. By now our clients had told us this- ‘ Don’t Expose What We Tell You Because The queen Is Behind The Scandal And You Will End Up Dead’..We then started looking into all the establ org’s we could find because we met someone who showed us a case full of litigation documents explaining all about the corruption in the UK Law system.. We were also, with the victims; searching for people who care about their fellow man. We found almost none. The most frequent response was ‘Its Nothing To Do With Me’ .At the weekend the same people were presumably running round a field for ‘a Good Cause’ We began to get more determined attacks and the UK HM Court System offered to kill us. Crime reports we entered on Police Computers have been destroyed together with al out web sites. F-k.Twitter and Yahoo destroy mail and even accounts. No HM MP will answer questions. The public don’t realize that these characters only have to send you half a line of response no matter what is sent them.We found out that behind the Mental Health scam is the Universities who are in league with multinational drug companies. Behind them is the Charity system which obeys orders for money. The Cabinet Office has admitted that the Govt are using drugs that’s why they show no stress. The media backs up the whole thing.IUts all about money not people and that’s exactly what the EEC at Brussels admitted. There’s no UK Govt because of corruption at the Electoral Commission and Local Govt. The org YouGov would have to be tranquillized not to know what’s going on. Even Lloyd’s Bank is mal funding MH. scams
Latest Findings- The ‘Polling’ company You Gov is assoc with crrptn. One of the Directors was involved in the most horrific Local Govt in UK outside Manchester , We now name Wandsworth. That where the first Police attacks were directed our way. That’s where we closed down the Dimbleby Press. That’s where the Giant MH Hospital killed people and the whole thing was covered up by Police. HM coroners..Local Govt. Local Press Ring. Unison.Mind. HM Religion. That’s where we were told the Chief Exec is too busy to see anyone and where friend ours was then featured in Local Press getting an award from MR Busy for ‘Cleaning A School’. That area launched us into the most incredible activity you can imagine right under the noses of the greedy and untrustworthy art sport drama loonies the middle classes. That was where we accompanied victims to a Health Minister who had been giving the Victims the runaround for over six yrs He deeeeenid he had any responsibilty for anything and offered to ‘Call The Police’. when we asked him why the victim had been locked in a Mental Hospita (the one that killed people) when there was nothing wrong with him. The ‘Minister; attempted to deny his signatures were on documents that the victim had showed him’ That Minister was in charge of the Hospital;. We exposed him and he went down only to pop up as an ‘MEP. We reported this to EEC but they said this- ‘Nothing Can Be done About Corruption So Go home Office’. We went there and sat waiting whilst staring at a huge sign saying they care about the public. Thats a pack of lies because they started putting out the lights and locking the doors in order to drive us out.
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Among the people telling packs of lies about MH are Ministers like Dorries who soon will be exposed in her Constituency in Central Bedfordshire. We have already checked the County Council in that area and found multiparty corruption to do with Mental Health. In fact everything we read is dangerous lies. The Govt DCMS has no right to be blaming others for its own part played in the 30.000 avoid deaths caused by the Mental Health Scandle.Why do you think we’ve experienced death threats from HM Courts. They don’t even do that to rapists. Ofcom is run by a woman from Genricks Dept. That Dept is corrupt and doers not respond re life death issues. The other person in that Dept is Pickles. We sent him huge evidence and no response was recd whilst at the same time his photo appeared in the press accompanied by an article about his biscuits. The UK and Europe is totally out of control. Because of what the cabinet office has admitted we now know that all these schizoid derisions are drug based.That’s why they wont communicate. Genrick is a bogus HM MP for Newark Notts. He does not even realise that we have now found crrptn everywhere in that area incl Police. HM Courts. Magist Courts. 24.12.20 Journalism and Internet?.Here’s more-No this is not about a Virus. Our evidence gathered prior to that. This is utter nonsense and lies. The Govt themselves are indicted re wrong and indicted re dangerous information. We don’t even have access to any HM MP because they ignore mail. We just told a Lab Party Lawyer HM MP that we cannot get any replies from 150 Councillors. 50 Parish Councils. 26 Universities 5 NHS Surgeries incl the one in Mrs Mays village Sonning. Ten Hospitals. Dept Health. Hancock. Genrick. The three dangers to this society are- Appeasement. Suppression. Journalism. Mental Health/ How can you mention that. This Govt and its Charity supporters and media have covered all that up for over 30 yrs. How come no one considered our survivability when Police started using violence on us whilst telling us that the evidence about MH can never be revealed to the public .I lay here in intense pain screaming in agony very nite for seven yrs. I prayed for death. I got no competent help whatsoever and no replies from anyone.
OFCOM licences Radio Amateurs. None of those clowns will respond. They are linked to violent Police. Their body the RSGB blocks mail. We say this- OFCOM is involved with corruption so they have no right to apply so called Law to the Internet Scene. No Democracy=No Law=No Tax. The Electoral Commission is corrupt as is the largest Law University in Europe namely Kent. (involved with BBC). By the way the Ombudswoman O’Reilly has confirmed this- ‘Nothing Can Be Done About Corruption Or The Attacks On You’. Shis is a bogus Lawyer from S ireland. The press descibe her turning up at Universities wearing heels and backless frocks. What a shame we found crrptn in the Irish Embassy just round the corner from where a woman sits behind 30 ft wals oblivious to mthe crrptn going on every quarter mile. Johnsons Office to us- ‘He Is Not interested In Corruption He Just wants People To ride Bikes’