NEWSOnline Safety Bill reaches Parliament – but what does it mean?

Online behaviour will be brought into sharp focus in the coming days as the government is about to lay out the much anticipated Online Safety Bill in Parliament. It will have relevance for all of us who have technology and access the internet when it (or a further debated and amended form of it) eventually passes, as it is likely to change the face of being online in some positive ways. The legislation aims to tighten up regulation, and parts of it amount to a legal requirement for online companies and social media networks to adhere to a much more proactive ’duty of care’. This is intended to deal with harmful online activity and content including perennial issues such as cyber-bullying (including trolling) and pornography. The Bill will ensure that social media networks do more to tackle the online behaviour of those who use their services. The companies risk being fined up to 10% of turnover or blocked altogether if they do not tackle the problem of harmful content. They will be required to do more to assess risks for adults which could arise through their services. These risks will be set out in further legislation, but could include things like the promotion of self-harm, eating disorders or harassment. The companies will be required to detail how they will deal with each of these things if they occur – and be expected to enforce their stated terms