The Guardian view on online safety: holding big tech to account
It is impossible to know, in December 2021, how we will look back in five or 20 years’ time at the period during which social media companies such as Meta (owner of Facebook) and Google were allowed to become some of the most powerful businesses in the world, with minimal regulation. But the online safety bill now working its way through the UK parliament should be a line in the sand. Evidence of the damage inflicted by these companies, which make vast amounts of money from advertising (the source of 99% of Facebook’s income), is not new. But with the onslaught of anti-vaxx content during the pandemic, and shocking evidence from whistleblower Frances Haugen, who told legislators in the US and UK that Facebook’s algorithms “[make] hate worse”, the warnings have become harder to ignore.
The bill would create a new regulatory framework, and the prospect of named safety officers at the big digital businesses facing criminal prosecution if their employers break the law. The overall aim is to bring democratic accountability and oversight to a sphere of life that has to a shocking extent been allowed to operate without them. No longer will giants including Facebook, TikTok and Google (owner of YouTube) be allowed to regard themselves as neutral “platforms”. Instead, they will be compelled to take far greater responsibility for the content that appears on their sites and feeds, and also – if the joint committee tasked with suggesting improvements to the bill has its way – for associated activity such as messaging.
Children are a key focus. Until now they have been scandalously unprotected, with compulsory age verification for commercial pornography sites promised in 2017 but never enacted. Rightly, the MPs and lords on the committee propose a broader age assurance framework, which would protect children’s privacy and ensure that service providers treat them appropriately and differently from adults. A new offence of cyberflashing would protect adults (mostly women) as well.
Transparency is another theme. Researchers and regulators must be granted more access to information, including about the operation of the algorithms that guide so many of our online “choices”. Business models that prioritise engagement above all else carry dangers, since they gain from users’ addictive or obsessive behaviours. More openness is also needed about the micro-targeting of advertisements.
There is a role for the information commissioner in relation to the use of personal data by advertisers (including characteristics such as religious or political beliefs). A dedicated digital media ombudsman is expected. The powers of the secretary of state for culture, Nadine Dorries, will be increased. But the lion’s share of the new regulatory function will fall to Ofcom, which must cooperate with other regulators in order to do the job effectively, and will need qualified staff, sufficient resources and safeguards against regulatory capture.
This bill will not solve all the problems created by social media. But it could, if properly enforced, improve lives in the UK – and set a useful example internationally. These companies and their services have become an important part of billions of lives. The case for increased oversight is overwhelming.