Tory peers denounce ‘illiberal’ curbs on content in online Bill

THE Online Safety Bill must strip out curbs on “legal but harmful” content to protect free speech on social media, say Conservative peers.

Lord Frost welcomed promises by ministers to “tweak” what he claimed was a “frighteningly illiberal” Bill but said that must include “at the bare minimum” removing the plans forcing social media firms to take down “legal but harmful” content.

Lord Frost, who was backed by Lords Moylan, Strathcarron and former Cabinet minister Baroness Stowell of Beeston, said the Bill would lead to firms like Meta “enforcing dangerously vague requirements to remove harmful content” and may give “the Secretary of State the power to designate what constitutes such material”.

He added: “The Bill needs to protect the concept that ... if you can say something in the real world you should be able to say it online too.”

The warning, backed by former Supreme Court judge Lord Sumption, comes as Index on Censorship, an organisation that campaigns for free speech, proposed amendments to the Bill. As well as removing clause 13, which combats “legal but harmful” content, it suggested narrowing the definition of “illegal’ to safeguard against algorithms censoring content that could compromise freedom of speech.

It proposed protections for end-to-end encrypted communications as it said monitoring of private messaging could leave users exposed to hacking by the back door.

Lord Sumption said: “This is a serious and constructive proposal for changing the more objectionable parts of this controversial Bill. The Government would do well to take note.”