Minister for Security (): Today, I am pleased to inform the House that we
are publishing the Online Fraud Charter.
A key deliverable in the Government’s Fraud
Strategy,(opens in a new tab) the Online Fraud Charter
contains a series of ambitious commitments from several of the
largest tech companies in the world. These commitments reflect a
landmark moment in our fight against fraud and will target some
of the most harmful and pervasive frauds that occur online. This
includes stronger action to make sure people are who they say
they are, on marketplaces and on dating apps. It will ensure that
signatory companies make fraud easier to report online. When
content or users are found to be fraudulent, immediate and
decisive enforcement action will be taken.
Further detail will be published online but the Charter will
contain actions focussing on:
- Blocking frauds from occurring in the first place
- Improved reporting structures and faster takedowns of harmful
content and users
- Making sure advertisers are who they say they are
- Greater collaboration with law enforcement and other partners
to drive further intelligence sharing, transparency, public
communications and horizon scanning.
Tech companies have made strong progress in the last several
years in combatting fraud and, with the Online Safety Act in the
process of coming fully into operation, change will be a
statutory responsibility. However, those that have signed this
charter have shown their willingness to work faster and in a more
targeted fashion than regulation will require. I commend their
constructive engagement and their ambition in agreeing to these
commitments. I am pleased to see them taking responsibility to
protect their users from fraud.
We are taking the fight to the fraudsters, targeting the
criminals that try to exploit us when we are online. Today, my
honourable friend the Minister for Media, Tourism and Creative
Industries, has also announced the publication of the Online
Advertising Taskforce Action Plan, which brings together
initiatives from industry and government to tackle illegal online
advertising and increase protections for children. Through both
of today’s announcements, the Government and industry will
implement significant steps to make sure that the British public
are protected online.
The Online Fraud Charter will be published on the Joint Fraud Taskforce GOV.UK
page(opens in a new tab).
