From what feels like time immemorial the UK government has paraded its proposed online harms legislation under the banner of ‘What is Illegal Offline is Illegal Online’. As a description of what is now the Online Safety Bill, the slogan is ill-fitting. The Bill contains nothing that extends to online behaviour a criminal offence that was previously limited to offline. Continue reading
The International Forum for Responsible Media Blog
Category: Internet (Page 1 of 19)
Any commentary upon legislation in progress risks rapidly becoming outdated: an occupational hazard to which this piece is by no means immune. Continue reading
Part 3: Criticism
In a rare show of national unity, disapproval of the OSB has spanned both ends of the political spectrum. Alongside criticism from the Labour culture minister, Conservative politicians have also weighed in on the ‘legal but harmful’ debate. Thinktanks and non-profit groups have likewise been apprehensive.
A number of Bills proposed by the recent Conservative governments have sparked controversy among commentators: among them, the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, the Retained EU Law Bill, and the ‘British’ Bill of Rights Bill. Taking its place in the rogues’ gallery is the Online Safety Bill (OSB)[pdf]. Continue reading
You may never have heard of Omegle–or perhaps you have. It is an online platform that allows people to meet and talk to total strangers online through video links. Participants are randomly paired but there is also a form of self-selection by indicating shared interests. Once people are paired, they can stay and chat or move to another partner. Continue reading
The traditional press has two roles, one as a check on public figures, and another as a form of entertainment. Increasingly, as Franklin argues: Continue reading
Despite the concerns raised and criticism surrounding the acquisition of social media platform Twitter by the billionaire Elon Musk, on April 26 Twitter’s board agreed to a $44bn takeover, sending shockwaves across the Internet. The deal is currently ‘temporarily on hold’ as Musk announced (via Twitter) on May 13 pending clarification of the true number of spam accounts on the platform, but Musk insists he is committed to the purchase. Continue reading
On 28 April 2022, with little advance notice, an announcement was released by various governments informing the world that they had just signed a “Declaration for the Future of the Internet”. In all, sixty-one countries signed this grandiose-sounding document, ranging from Albania to Uruguay. Signatories notably included the US, which was the sponsor of the Declaration, the 27 countries of the EU, the UK, Japan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and four of the five Nordic countries. Continue reading
On 17 March 2022, the Government finally published the Online Safety Bill, which will now make its way through Parliament – with the expectation that it will ultimately become law. Continue reading
The Online Safety Bill [pdf] (OSB) is a gorilla of a thing, comprising 213 pages, plus explanatory notes, impact assessment and human rights statement. It will take a while for people to understand how the regime introduced by the OSB is likely to work. Continue reading
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