Let’s put ‘David’s Law’ on to statute books to fight online abuse, says MP

‘He was appalled by misogynistic abuse and told me that he wanted something done about it’

THE Online Harms Bill should be “toughened up” to combat internet abuse and renamed “David’s Law” in memory of Sir David Amess, a Conservative former minister has said.

Mark Francois said Sir David, a close friend, had become “increasingly concerned” about what he called the “toxic environment” in which MPS – and particularly female politicians – were abused online.

“If the social media companies don’t want to help us drain the Twitter swamp, then let’s compel them to do it by law,” he told MPS during yesterday’s tributes to Sir David in the Commons.

“He [Sir David] was appalled by what he called the vile misogynistic abuse which female MPS had to endure online and he told me very recently that he wanted something done about it. So let’s put, if I may be so presumptuous, David’s Law on to the statute book.

“The essence would be that while people in public life must remain open to legitimate criticism, they can no longer be vilified or their families subject to horrendous abuse, especially from people who hide behind a cloak of anonymity with the connivance of the social media companies for profit.”

Dominic Raab, the Justice Secretary, disclosed yesterday that he had received at least three threats on “life and limb” in the past two years.

Labour MP Chris Bryant yesterday said South Wales Police had arrested a 76-year-old man in connection with a threat on his life that he found on Saturday, after he returned from abroad. “The first message in my in-box was this death threat, pretty clear, so I notified the police and they have taken action,” he said.

Social media could face legal requirements to identify anonymous users in police or abuse investigations under new online harms laws.

Damian Collins, chairing the parliamentary committee scrutinising the new laws, said there was a “strong case” for tech firms to be required to have enough personal information so an online abuser could be identified as part of any investigation into them.

“If they do anything in breach of the law or the platform’s police, they could be identified to law enforcement authorities. People would then understand that if they post abusive material, they could be traced back,” he said.