New UK regulations hold social media companies accountable for their content

LONDONThe UK’s Online Safety Act will impose new responsibilities on social media companies and make them liable for their content, an expert said.

The new law adopts a zero-tolerance policy for protecting children on social media platforms.

The bill came into effect on October 26, 2023, and will be fully enforced next year, Anadolu Agency reported. Britain’s media regulator Ofcom will then oversee its implementation and will have the power to take action against companies that fail to meet their new obligations.

Callum Hood, head of research at the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), told Anadolu Agency that the internet and social media have brought great benefits to societies across the world, but online platforms can also lead to undesirable consequences.

Hood stressed that it is becoming increasingly clear that these consequences can cause “real damage” to societies and democracies, pointing to the far-right violence in the UK that followed the spread of disinformation on social media as an example.

He explained that these events were caused by accounts spreading disinformation and that Muslims and immigrants who were targeted on social media were harmed by these incidents.

“I think the Online Safety Act in the UK is trying to do at a simple level what a lot of the forms of social media regulation that are gradually being introduced in different parts of the world are now trying to do, which is to bring some kind of accountability to social media platforms,” Hood said.

He noted that the negative impact of disinformation in the UK is also seen in other parts of the world.

“There’s no accountability for them. There’s no price to pay. So that’s what has to change. There has to be some kind of accountability when they’re making these very deliberate decisions that are causing harm,” Hood added.

The law, which aims to tackle speculative news and online hate speech, has gained renewed attention after far-right groups used social media to incite violence.

Following a stabbing attack in the English seaside resort of Southport on July 29, in which 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana killed three children and injured 10 others, far-right groups coordinated protests on platforms including Telegram, TikTok and X, spreading speculative news and calling for anti-migrant and anti-Muslim protests.

The events led to large-scale confrontations with police, numerous arrests and detentions, and significant damage to property across the UK.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has hinted at tougher measures if social media companies do not do more to remove harmful content, accusing the companies of fueling violence from far-right groups.

The new law criminalizes the sharing of false or threatening content intended to cause psychological or physical harm. It also gives social media platforms new responsibilities to remove illegal content, such as incitement to racial hatred and criminal activity.

The 286-page law, set to come into full force in the second half of next year, is intended to protect both children and adults online. Anadolu Agency said tech companies would have to take stricter measures to protect children from harmful material.

Social media platforms must remove content related to child sexual exploitation and abuse, coercive behaviour, promoting or facilitating suicide or self-harm, animal cruelty, illegal drug or weapons sales, and terrorism.

Providers must also implement systems to reduce the risk of their services being used for illegal activities.

Companies that fail to comply face fines of up to £18 million (US$24 million) or 10 percent of their global turnover, whichever is higher.

Top executives can also be prosecuted if they fail to comply with Ofcom’s information requirements.

Ofcom will also hold companies and executives found guilty of failing to comply with enforcement notices relating to child sexual exploitation and abuse criminally liable.

The regulator continues public consultations on the law’s obligations, he added.

– Bernama, Anadolu Agency