The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture,
Media and Sport ():...We are also taking steps to
strengthen Ofcom’s enforcement powers, which is why we are giving
Ofcom a discretionary power to require non-compliant services to
publish or notify their users of enforcement action that it has
taken against the service. Ofcom will be able to use this power
to direct a service to publish details or notify its UK users
about enforcement notices it receives from Ofcom. I thank
the Antisemitism Policy
Trust for bringing this proposal to our attention
and for its helpful engagement on the issue. This new power will
promote transparency by increasing awareness among users about
breaches of the duty in the Bill. It will help users make much
more informed decisions about the services they use, and act as
an additional deterrent factor for service providers...
(Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
(Alba):...Speaking out about this in Scotland has been a very
painful experience for many of us. We have faced doxing, threats,
harassment and vilification. In 2019, I raised my concerns about
safeguarding with my colleagues in Government. A paper I wrote
had this simple message: women are not being listened to in the
gender recognition reform debate. I approached the then Cabinet
Secretary for Social Security and Older People, , whose brief
included equality. She was someone I had known for years and
considered a friend; she knew my professional background, my
family and, of course, my children. She told me she that she
shared my concerns—she has children of her own—but she instructed
me to be silent. She personally threatened and attempted to bully
friends of mine, insisting that they abandon me. I pay great
tribute to Danny Stone and the Antisemitism
Policy Trust for their support in guiding me
through what was an incredibly difficult period of my life. I
also pay tribute to the hon. Member for Brigg and Goole ()...
The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
():...I have worked very
closely with a range of groups backing the causes that the hon.
Lady mentions in relation to cracking down on antisemitism,
including the Board of Deputies, the Antisemitism Policy
Trust and members of the APPG. [Hon. Members: “They
don’t back it.”] They do indeed back the Bill. They have said
that it is vital that we progress this further. We have adopted
their clause in relation to breach notifications, to increase
transparency, and we have injected a triple shield that will
ensure that antisemitism does not remain on these platforms...
To read the whole debate, OPEN HERE
