Blunkett’s warning over online content
BREXIT: Britain will rely on tech companies to police harmful online content until new legislation is introduced post-Brexit, a former home secretary has warned.
Lord Blunkett said a “major gap” would exist in the months after the UK leaves the EU over who can exert control on videosharing platforms.
BRITAIN WILL rely on tech companies to police harmful online content until new legislation is introduced post- Brexit, a former Home Secretary has warned.
Lord Blunkett said a “major gap” would exist in the months after the UK leaves the EU over who can exert control on video- sharing platforms and on- demand services such as Facebook, Netflix and TikTok.
This will leave the country “at the mercy” of the tech companies to prevent child abuse and terror content appearing on their platforms until further measures are introduced in UK, the Labour peer added.
Lord Blunkett’s remarks came as peers approved regulations to maintain Ofcom’s remit to regulate platforms within the UK jurisdiction once the Brexit transition period ends on December 31.
But peers heard the power will reside with regulators in Europe to deal with platforms based in the remaining 27 member states, with Labour warning the UK will be “shut out” and lacking influence.
The Government has also expressed concerns about a lack of regulation for providers with no physical presence in the UK or European Economic Area.
It added a second concern was TikTok, which is established in China with subsidiaries across the EU, in that there “may be a period of time before its European regulator is decided upon definitively. In the meantime there will be a gap in regulation”.
Speaking during the debate, Lord Blunkett said: “What we have in this order is a recognition that without the online- harms legislation promised by the former Prime Minister Theresa May, we have not just a gap in terms of the maintenance of what Ofcom may or may not be able to do to this date, but a major gap in terms of any control over these video- sharing platforms.
“We’re talking about Netflix, Facebook and TikTok, and ticktock it is because the time is passing but the fingers have fallen off the face of the clock.” He said: “We’re at the mercy of these big international tech companies.”