The Online Safety Bill in the United Kingdom (UK) is finished and poised to be enacted into law, marking a significant step in the country's quest to make internet safer.
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LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 17: In this photo illustration, a teenage child looks at a screen of age-restricted content on a laptop screen on January 17, 2023 in London, England.
Passing Online Safety Bill in the UK
On Tuesday, TechCrunch reported that the Online Safety Bill successfully navigated its way through the parliament and has been passed today, ushering in stringent measures for major social platforms to eliminate illegal content expeditiously.
Once the bill receives royal assent and becomes law in the coming days, social media platforms will have to remove illegal content quickly or prevent it from appearing in the first place.
Oversight and enforcement of this legislation will fall under the purview of the UK's telecom regulatory authority, Ofcom. It will also introduce novel age-verification protocols designed to shield underage individuals from exposure to harmful content.
This legislation also compels major social media platforms to enhance their transparency regarding the risks they may pose to children. It also allows parents and children to report concerns encountered online.
Notably, the bill carries substantial penalties, with companies potentially facing fines of up to 10 percent of their global annual revenue. The bill has undergone multiple revisions and refinements throughout its multi-year legislative process in Parliament.
In a brief statement, Reuters reported that the newly appointed regulator for online content in the UK did not delve into the intricate challenges that lie ahead but rather expressed satisfaction with the bill's approval by Parliament and affirmed readiness to implement the new regulatory framework.
Dame Melanie Dawes, who serves as the CEO of Ofcom, conveyed her sentiments, stating that the present moment represents a significant milestone in the ongoing mission to establish a safer digital environment for individuals of all ages within the UK.
She expressed the organization's gratitude for being entrusted with this crucial role and asserted their preparedness to initiate the enforcement of these fresh regulations.
Furthermore, she disclosed that shortly after the Bill receives Royal Assent, they will commence consultations on the initial set of standards expected of technology companies to combat illegal online activities, including matters on child sexual exploitation, fraud, and terrorism.
Jeopardizing Apps
However, the introduction of online age verification not only raises significant privacy apprehensions but could also potentially jeopardize encrypted messaging services, such as WhatsApp.
As per the stipulations outlined in the bill, The Verge reported that encrypted messaging platforms would be required to scrutinize users' messages to detect any instances of child sexual abuse material.
The enforcement of this regulation has the potential to fundamentally undermine the commitment to end-to-end encryption made by various apps, thereby allowing third parties, including the app providers themselves, to access users' messages.
In March, WhatsApp took a firm stance against complying with the bill, even contemplating leaving the UK rather than altering its encryption policies.
This protest was echoed by Signal and other encrypted messaging services, compelling UK regulators to attempt to alleviate their concerns by pledging to mandate only "technically feasible" measures.
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