Culture Secretary: Public life poisoned
Online hate has “poisoned public life”, the Culture Secretary has said, as she pledged to bring in sweeping reforms in memory of colleague Sir David Amess.
Nadine Dorries said the recent killing of Tory MP Sir David in his constituency may not have been stopped by a crackdown on online abuse but it had highlighted the threats faced by people in the public eye.
Dorries revealed she had faced horrific abuse,
including one person “saying they wanted to see me trapped in a burning car, and watch ‘the flames melt the flesh on my face’”.
She said the Government had been impelled to re-examine its forthcoming Online Safety Bill in the light of Sir David’s death.
Dorries said: “The police already have the powers but social media companies need to hand over the data more quickly and rapidly remove the content themselves.
“Finally, this Bill will force platforms to stop amplifying hateful content via their algorithms.
“And here’s the bottom line. If social media companies fail in any of those duties, they’ll face a financial hammer blow.
“Ofcom will be able to fine them up to 10% of their annual global turnover.
“But big tech can – and must – do more right now.”