Online harms
“My Ministers will continue to develop proposals to
improve internet safety”
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Britain is leading the world in developing a
comprehensive regulatory regime to keep people safe online,
protect children and other vulnerable users and ensure that
there are no safe spaces for terrorists online.
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The April 2019 Online Harms White Paper set out the
Government’s plan for world-leading legislation to make the UK
the safest place in the world to be online.
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The proposals, as set out in the White Paper were:
o A new duty of
care on companies towards their users, with an independent
regulator to oversee this framework.
o We want to keep people safe online, but we
want to do this in a proportionate way, ensuring that freedom of
expression is upheld and promoted online, and businesses do not
face undue burdens.
o We are seeking to do this by ensuring that
companies have the right processes and systems in place to fulfil
their obligations, rather than penalising them for individual
instances of unacceptable content.
o Our public consultation on this has closed
and we are analysing the responses and considering the issues
raised. We are working closely with a variety of stakeholders,
including technology companies and civil society groups, to
understand their views.
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We are seeking to do this by ensuring that companies have
the right processes and systems in place to fulfil their
obligations, rather than penalising them for individual
instances of unacceptable content.
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Our public consultation on this has closed and we are
analysing the responses and considering the issues raised. We
are working closely with a variety of stakeholders, including
technology companies and civil society groups, to understand
their views.
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Next steps:
o We will publish draft legislation for
pre-legislative scrutiny.
o Ahead of this legislation, the Government
will publish work on tackling the use of the internet by
terrorists and those engaged in child sexual abuse and
exploitation, to ensure companies take action now to tackle
content that threatens our national security and the physical
safety of children.
o We are also taking forward additional
measures, including a media literacy strategy, to empower users
to stay safe online. A Safety by Design framework will help
start-ups and small businesses to embed safety during the
development or update of their products and services.
Key facts
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There is a growing threat presented from online Child
Sexual Exploitation and Abuse. In 2018, there were over 18.4
million referrals of child sexual abuse material by US tech
companies to the National Center for Missing and Exploited
Children. Of those, there were 113,948 UK related referrals, up
from 82,109 in 2017.
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Terrorists also continue to use online services to spread
their vile propaganda and mobilise support. All five terrorist
attacks in the UK during 2017 had an online element.
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There is majority support among adult internet users for
increased regulation of social media (70 per cent), video
sharing (64 per cent) and Instant Messaging services (61 per
cent).
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When asked, 83 per cent of adults expressed concern about
harms to children on the internet. Of greatest concern was
bullying, abusive behaviour or threats (55 per cent) and
children’s exposure to inappropriate content, including
pornography, (49 per cent).
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What we have done so far:
o The joint DCMS-Home Office Online Harms
White Paper was published in April 2019. We also
published the Social Media Code of Practice setting out actions
social media platforms should take to prevent bullying,
insulting, intimidating and humiliating behaviours on their
sites.
o In November 2018 the Government established
a new UK Council for Internet Safety. This expanded the scope of
the UK Council for Child Internet Safety, and was guided by the
Government’s Internet Safety Strategy.
o The UK has been championing
international action on online safety.. The Prime Minister used
his speech at the United Nations General Assembly to champion the
UK’s work on online safety.
