The UK’s Online Safety Bill is now law
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Online Safety Act (Ofcom): The UK should make the UK the safer place to be online in the world, not just the UK
Online platforms will not be required to immediately comply with all of their duties under the new bill, which is also known as the Online Safety Act. The codes of practice will be published in phases by the UK telecom regulator Ofcom. A consultation with proposals to handle these duties will be published on November 9th, and the first is about how platforms will have to respond to illegal content.
Failing to comply with the act’s rules could land companies with fines of up to £18 million (around $22 million), or 10 percent of their global annual turnover (whichever is higher), and their bosses could even face prison.
The Wikimedia Foundation said the bill could be a problem for a service like encyclopedia, which chooses to collect only minimal data on its users, including their ages.
The UK’s Technology Secretary said that the bill will protect free speech and ensure that platforms remove illegal content. The Bill is dedicated to the protection of children. I would like to thank the campaigners, parliamentarians, survivors of abuse and charities that have worked tirelessly, not only to get this Act over the finishing line, but to ensure that it will make the UK the safest place to be online in the world.”
The UK’s telecommunications regulators, Ofcom, said in June that it would begin consultations with industry after royal assent was granted. It’s unlikely that enforcement will begin immediately, but the law will apply to any platform with a significant number of users in the UK. Companies that fail to comply with the new rules face fines of up to £18 million ($21.9 million) or 10 percent of their annual revenue, whichever is larger.
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