Read on Twitter
Three years and five @DCMS Secretaries of State since the launch of the Internet Safety Strategy Green Paper, @OliverDowden is about to present the final #OnlineHarms proposals to the Commons. Summary thread on the detail and the debate to follow. https://bit.ly/34vUI7J 1/
And we're off.
Government is taking "decisive action" to protect people online: "ground-breaking" and "world-leading" action. Dowden says he has struck "balance between shielding people from harm also ensuring proportionate regime, preserving freedom of expression." 2/
Government is taking "decisive action" to protect people online: "ground-breaking" and "world-leading" action. Dowden says he has struck "balance between shielding people from harm also ensuring proportionate regime, preserving freedom of expression." 2/
Key areas of action: first focus on illegal action, including CSEA, terrorism and "posts that incite violence and hatred". Dowden refers to the experience of many Parliamentarians in relation to latter. 3/
Now Dowden refers to impact of legal but harmful content, taking self-harm content as an example. Confirms Govt has asked Law Commission to look at encouragement and assistance of self harm. 4/
Companies expected to prevent children accessing services that "pose highest risk of harm" - cutting edge age assurance technologies will be part of this. 5/
Platforms face additional obligations on "dangerous vaccine misinformation" and cyberbulling. "where they fall short they will face the legal consequences". 6/
Dowden addresses point about worries re burdens on smaller companies - only 3% will be covered by this. Also on freedom of expression: purpose not to stop adults accessing content they do not agree with or "protect adults from being offended". 7/
Full response now live on the @DCMS website: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/online-harms-white-paper 8/
Now @JoStevensLabour responds for the Opposition: "emphasis on children very welcome". However, she pushes Dowden to confirm when the legislation will actually come into force. "The response today is lacking in ambition ... a missed opportunity". 9/
Also, challenges assertion that companies will "not be marking their own homework" ("that is exactly what they are doing") and questions whether fines will be enough of a disincentive. Also, notes delay on asking Law Commission to act on self-harm and exclusion of scams. 10/
On sanctions, Dowden asserts that people should "be in no doubt" that if fines don't lead to improvement, he platforms' senior managers "will face criminal sanctions" and Govt will take the power in the Bill and enact it through secondary legislation. 11/
Dowden also emphasises that the proposals are "empowering Ofcom to hold tech firms to account .. this House will set out what those legal but harmful things are through secondary legislation and can vote on it". 12/
Next up, chair of @CommonsDCMS @julianknight15 asking for misinformation to be included in scope and how the transparency reports are going to be robust. Key question too re pre-legislative scrutiny, though no details on how this will take shape in response from @OliverDowden 13/
SNP's @MrJohnNicolson welcomes much of the proposals but asks if Ofcom will "be a regulator with teeth", and if so what extra powers they will have. Flags rise in cyberbullying of LGBT young people and asks for further consideration re anonymity online. 14/
On not including measures on anonymity, Dowden says it's "very important for some people, eg victims of domestic violence or young people with questions re sexuality". On misinfo/disinfo: "rely on trusted sources; rebut false info; work with tech co.s themeslves" 15/
First of 4 former @DCMS Secretaries of State on the order sheet, Jeremy Wright, asks re impact on smaller firms; then Labour's @CliveEfford asks re scope, including targeted gambling ads. On latter, Dowden says "covers any platform that allows self-generated content on it". 16/
Ex- @DCMS Secretary of State #2 @sajidjavid asks for assurance that CSEA code "will be a statutory obligation" once the Bill becomes law: Dowden says "it's in interests of tech firms to clean up their act" and act voluntarily now. 17/
Former @CommonsDCMS chair @DamianCollins asks 3 key questions: will Ofcom be able to audit transparency reports; how is a "media outlet" to be defined; and if companies' Ts&Cs don't come up to standard, what will consequences be? (Dowden doesn't answer the third.) 18/
@darrenpjones picks up this thread re how to define "legal but harmful" and how Ofcom can verify that action has been taken, though there is no response. Dowden responds instead to challenge on age verification proposals and distinction with "age assurance" technologies. 19/
Anti-semitism and online abuse is focus of questions from next couple of speakers, @Christian4BuryS and @margarethodge - with latter asking for action on anonymity to be addressed. 20/
Karen Bradley - referring to "the ghosts of Secretaries of State past" on the Govt benches - asks again re commitment to age verification measures. Shortly followed by ex-SofS #4 @MariaMillerUK who asks for action on image-based abuse to be placed on same timescale. 21/
Chair of @socialmediaAPPG @CPJElmore asks: when is Bill coming to floor of House: why delay criminal sanctions; and why exclude economic crime? Dowden says re latter "if user-generated content, it will be within scope" and that most fraud comes as result of online-advertising 22/
Another call for measures on anonymity to be included, from @timloughton - this time saying that user identify should be proven by the companies, not necessarily a requirement for users online. 23/
Fair play to @stephenctimms who tries to clarify the response to @CPJElmore re whether fraud and scams are covered. Dowden promises a list of "priority harms" for scrutiny but he is "not convinced this is the appropriate legislative vehicle" to address economic crime 24/
@StephenFlynnSNP refers to instances of primary children accessing PornHub on mobile phones & need for age verification. Dowden confirms Pornhub will be in scope: "expect them to take appropriate measures to prevent children from accessing that site", consequences if not. 25/
@angelaeagle asks how this legislation would solve threat of misinformation/disinformation undermining democracy: Dowden says it is "specifically aimed at harm caused to individuals" but (as per interim response) sits alongside Cabinet Office "defending democracy" programme. 26/
@joannaccherry asks whether all protected characteristics should have equal protection in #OnlineHarms , including misogyny. Dowden agrees: Ofcom will hold companiess to account to make sure they have policies to address it and they enforce it and will face penalties if not. 27/
In response to @BenMLake question re future proofing, Dowden clarifies that Ofcom will be given discretion, through codes of practice, and that the process of defining priority harms will work through secondary legislation, which will allow them to be added to over time 28/
Good questions on end-to-end encryption proposals from @YvetteCooperMP and also on proportionality: "when would it be disproportionate for companies to *not* address child sexual abuse and exploitation material?" 29/
