The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee has said that misleading and harmful content online about Covid-19 has been spread “virulently”. The reason the DCMS Committee has given for this is that the UK lacks a law that could regulate social media.
The DCMS Committee has suggested that the government drafts a copy of legislation by the autumn. Previous suggestions had said that the It follows suggestions the ‘Online Harms Bill’ may not come into force until 2024.
The DCMS Committee Chairman Julian Knight has argued that tech firms could not be allowed to self-regulate. He said : “We still haven’t seen correct legislative architecture put in place, and we are still relying on social media companies’ consciences. This just is not good enough. Our legislation is not in any way fit for purpose, and we’re still waiting. What I’ve seen so far has just been quite a lot of delay”.
This report has been welcomed by the NSPCC. Andy Burrows of the charity has said : “The committee is right to be concerned about the pace of legislation and whether the regulator will have the teeth it needs”.
Twitter, which has been involved in disagreements with the President of the United States Donald Trump, has said its top priority was “protecting the health of the public conversation – this means surfacing authoritative public health information and the highest quality and most relevant content and context first”.
Some have criticised the bill and see the potential harm in placing the freedom of speech in government hands. Others have welcomed a bill potentially taking such power away from media companies.
Current Affairs Correspondent | My name is Oliver Down I am 22, and a staunch brexiteer. I am a Bristolian lad who studied politics in Leicester. I believe in free speech and accurate journalism and I won’t be afraid to give you “the other side” of the story!
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