How the new rules work
DUTY OF CARE
Under the new rules, tech firms including Facebook, Twitter and Google will have a legal ‘duty of care’ to users. This will make them responsible for vile content such as child abuse images, ‘suicide porn’ and extremist propaganda. Failure to remove it could see them fined millions of pounds or even blocked. But as well as the Silicon Valley firms, the proposals apply to any platform that allows users to post comments, including news sites. A WATCHDOG WITH TEETH
A regulator, funded by the tech industry, will police the duty of care. It will draw up a legally-enforced code of practice spelling out what social networks and internet companies must do to safeguard users. The independent watchdog will be able to impose penalties and name and shame tech firms that flout the rules. News websites will be covered even though many are already independently regulated. TERROR AND CHILD ABUSE IMAGES
Tech firms will face further stringent requirements to ensure child abuse and terrorist content is not disseminated online. The regulator will decide how quickly platforms should remove extremist content, such as the live-streamed New Zealand mosque massacre. Firms must also develop technology to stop certain content getting online. There are fears this could hamper legitimate news coverage or give the Home Secretary powers over what can and can’t be said about terrorists. FREEDOM OF SPEECH UNDER THREAT?
The White Paper says the regulator will have a legal duty to protect ‘freedom of expression’, so the crackdown on tech firms is seen by some as a major victory. But there is a risk that a government could use the legislation against opponents and clamp down on dissenting voices on news websites. TROLLING AND DISINFORMATION
The proposals would make tech firms tackle ‘trolling’ and ‘disinformation’ online. They will also be required to have dedicated fact-checkers, especially during elections. Again this raises the question as to who would decide what is allowed to be said. A malign government could effectively decide the boundaries of public debate – as with the authoritarian regimes in China, Russia and Saudi Arabia.
AGE CHECKS
Technology firms will have a legal duty to protect children from inappropriate content. They could face significant penalties if they fail to introduce stringent age verification checks. It could mean that millions of children are barred because 40 per cent of under-13s use social media.