Call for authority to regulate tech firms

TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES are “failing” to regulate themselves, a new report by a House of Lords committee says.

The Communications Committee believes a new central authority to co-ordinate regulators and protect the public online should be formed. Its report – Regulating in a Digital World – recommends the creation of a new Digital Authority to oversee the regulation of large tech firms, which it says should be guided by 10 principles, including transparency and respect for privacy.

The report is the latest in a string of publications from lawmakers and industry experts calling for more powers to reprimand internet and social media companies about properly handling personal data of users and remove illicit material in good time.

It says internet companies should have a duty of care imposed upon them, with responsibility for enforcing it handed to broadcasting and telecoms regulator Ofcom.

The committee also calls for online platforms to make their community standards clearer by adopting a classification framework, similar to that of the British Board of Film Classification.

Chairman of the committee, Lord Gilbert of Panteg, said: “The Government should not just be responding to news headlines but looking ahead so that the services that constitute the digital world can be held accountable to an agreed set of principles. Selfregulation by online platforms is clearly failing and the current regulatory framework is out of date.”

The committee also recommends users be given greater control over when and how their personal data is collected, and that annual data transparency statements should be made a requirement.