The fundamental issues with the government’s White Paper proposals have been exhaustively discussed on previous occasions. Reminiscent of a sheriff in the Wild West, to which the internet is so often likened, Ofcom would enlist deputies – social media platforms and other intermediaries acting under a legal duty of care – to police the unruly online population. Unlike its Wild West equivalent, however, Ofcom would get to define its territory and write the rules, as well as enforce them. Continue reading
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Tag: Online Harms White Paper (Page 1 of 2)
The government has now published the Final Response to its Consultation on the April 2019 Online Harms White Paper. Continue reading
On 15 December 2020, the Government published its full response to the Online Harms White Paper, confirming that the Online Harms Bill will establish a new statutory duty of care which is intended to make online companies take responsibility for the safety of their users. Continue reading
This is Part 2 of a post dealing with evidence given by government Ministers to two Commons Committees – the Home Affairs Committee and the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee – discussing, among other things, the government’s proposed Online Harms legislation. Part 1 was published on 28 May 2020. Continue reading
When the government published its online harms white paper (OHWP) last spring we explained our view that the ideas in the white paper should represent the start of a journey towards greater regulation, rather than the final destination of that journey.
The abiding impression left by the government’s Initial Response to the Online Harms White Paper Consultation is that it is half-finished. Non-conclusions and conclusions sit side by side. Continue reading
On 12 February 2020 the Government published its initial response (the “Response”) to last year’s Online Harms White Paper consultation. The Response leaves many issues concerning the regulatory and legislative structure yet to be decided (such as funding and enforcement powers), with the final policy to be published by the Government in the spring. Continue reading
The consultation period for the Government’s “Online Harms White Paper” closed on 1 July 2019. The consultation website tells us that the Government is “analysing your feedback”. Continue reading
It has been an extraordinarily busy year in UK tech policy. The Furman Review reported on digital competition, recommending changes to competition law and a new regulator to deal with data dominance, competition and consumer welfare. Continue reading
The Online Harms White Paper proposes to subject companies that allow users to share or discover user-generated content or interact with each other online (“platforms”) to a new “duty of care”. The intention is to make platforms take more responsibility for protecting users against a variety of “online harms”. Continue reading
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