Does the online safety bill go far enough to protect people?
After all this time, is this it? The white paper on online safety in the UK was published this week. But what does it mean? In simple terms, it is hoped that the online safety bill will protect young people from being exposed to harmful content online. As we have all discovered, online abuse in all its forms is prominent in the foundations of social media and indeed our society. Often times, we are not even aware of our exposure to it, it has become an intrinsic part of who we are. As we are launched into a new digital age, it is more important than ever that the wonderful innovation of social media is used as a cause for good as the driving force for social change, and not a poisoned chalice where our mental health is neglected. For many, parents feel that the drawbacks and risks to their child's mental health because of being on social media out way the dangers. For this reason, the government has introduced the 2021 Online Safety bill, which will ensure social media companies are accountable.
As the moderation of content online is difficult, and algorithms are not always as effective and efficient as they should be, the government has introduced a new law that offers protection and delivers safeguarding to young people. Ofcom, the communications regulator, will be given the power to fine companies failing in a new duty of care up to £18 million or ten per cent of annual global turnover, whichever is higher, and have the power to block access to sites. However, many are concerned that this new law infringes freedom of expression as some clauses in the law have been associated with censorship, in that this policing will put an end to free speech. There are also growing concerns about whether these laws will materialize in the way that it is hoped, in maintaining the freedom of speech we all value, and protecting everyone online. The Online Harms White Paper was published in December 2020, presenting the idea that if social media platforms failed to protect their users from harmful content, then there would be legal ramifications. Tech giants may face fines of up to £13 million or how their platform shut down forcibly under new laws unveiled by the government. However, these laws never really transpired. There have long been concerns that the internet, along with the online platforms that we use on it, has evolved at such a pace that existing laws are not adequate to regulate it. In my eyes, it does not go far enough to tackle the behaviour of perpetrators online as there are significant loopholes in the bill.
The online safety bill has the support of the Children's Commissioner and the NSPCC, still, some are concerned the law will end up introducing more troubles than it solves. Defining “legal but harmful” material is one of the major challenges facing the government. “This type of activity can range from online bullying and abuse to advocacy of self-harm to spreading disinformation and misinformation,” the government stated in a short letter accompanying the draft.
The online safety organization, the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), suggested that its analysts were confronting a “tidal wave” of abusive content. They called on the government to have the protection of children online at the forefront of the Online Safety Bill. Figures show that experts are discovering 15x as much child sexual abuse material online as there were a decade ago.
The Conservative MP, Damian Collins, the chairperson of the committee helping to draft the Online Safety Bill. He spoke alongside his daughter, Claudia, on Good Morning Britain earlier this week, and she addressed the challenges facing big technology companies. In an article, Claudia wrote for the Telegraph: “Self-harm is not just prominent on social media, it is everywhere. Molly’s death reflects an online world fuelling an epidemic.” That was about the horrific death of Molly Russell, who took tragically took her own life in 2017 after watching material on Instagram. Claudia described videos, which had been recommended to her by the Instagram algorithm, of girls in “drooling mascara beneath their eyes,” self-harming and attaching the hashtag “barcode wrist,” joking that they were scanned by supermarket checkouts. The MP said his daughter had raised her “increasing concern” about self-harm being “glorified and glamorized” online.
““We will protect children on the internet, a crackdown on racist abuse on social media and, through new measures to safeguard our liberties, create a truly democratic digital age.” ”
— Digital Secretary, Oliver Dowden
In other areas of public interest, the racist abuse of Black footballers has reignited the debate over social media policing, and it proves that currently, the bill does not go far enough. It is hoped that this will be the catalyst for social change. Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka missed penalties in the shoot-out loss and were targeted on social media following England's defeat to Italy. This sickening abuse is unforgivable given what these heroic men have achieved. Marcus Rashford, 23, raised 200 million for poverty-stricken children to eat and is an inspiration to many. Jadon Sancho, 21, opened new football pitches in the deprived areas of London to give young people a purpose and keep them off the streets. Buyako Saka, 19, is the voice for all young people today, not just those in football. When an insurmountable amount of pressure fell on their shoulders, they stood up to take a critical penalty that would change the course of history, while other more experienced players waited on the sidelines. It was not meant to be, this tournament united the nation after years of division, but the BAME community tragically were unsurprised by the racist abuse that flooded in after Italy’s victory.
Many have shown support and love for the players who were targeted, real change is yet to come. Following, the torrent of racist abuse that leads players to feel vulnerable, Tyrone Mings criticized the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, by tweeting that she has ‘stoked the fire’ after dismissing the team, taking the knee as ‘gesture politics.’ At the start of matches, many players chose to take the knee as a symbolic gesture to address, educate and underline the action that is not politically driven but a peaceful and powerful act that combats racism. Disrespectfully, fans have been booing players who have decided to take the knee. Many have fought back at Priti Patel to offer their support to Tyrone Mings’ plea for social equality and an end to the racism which is so entrenched in our contemporary society.
The sad truth is that although the message is clear that what is unacceptable offline is not acceptable online, social media is awash with hatred, misinformation, and fake news. The government hopes that the online safety bill will ease this. The government stipulates the importance of retaining and upholding democratic debate online. It is hoped that financial fraud on social media and dating apps, including protecting people from romance frauds and fake investment opportunities, will be at the heart of this bill. It is also crucial that this bill protects free speech and journalism to avoid censorship by conserving content deemed as democratically important. Likewise, the removal and limitation of sexual, radical, and other harmful content glorifies violence and gives it the platform to spread dangerous ideologies. In the dawn of fake news awareness, it is promised that this bill will bring an end to the spreading of misinformation. Conversely, it is expected to deliver accountability and fairness to the online world and safeguard children online. Following the radicalization of young girls like Shamima Begum, it is promised to end the online radicalization of young people by all terrorist organizations. Only time will tell if the online safety bill delivers and leads the way into a safer digital age for everyone.
