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Three new criminal offences are set to be added to the Online Safety Bill as the government strengthens its bid to stamp out illegal content.
The bill, which is currently going through parliament, aims to introduce obligations on social media firms to keep their users safe and protect them from harmful material.
How these companies comply with the law will be monitored by Ofcom which will become the online safety regulator.
What is the Online Safety Bill and why are some people worried about it?
Under the new changes, crimes such as revenge porn, people smuggling, fraud and the sale of illegal drugs or weapons will be added to a list of priority offences.
This means online platforms will be forced to remove any content relating to the offences and proactively work to stop their users from encountering it.
Other areas added to the priority list are hate crime, promotion or facilitation of suicide, sexual exploitation, and the sale of illegal weapons.
So what are the three new criminal offences being added?
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries confirmed the three criminal offences are to be included after reports from parliamentary committees warned the bill required strengthening and further clarity.
They have been recommended by the Law Commission in an effort to make the law fit for the internet age, the government said.
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• The first is a “genuinely threatening” communications offence, which covers communications that are sent or posted to convey a threat of serious harm.
This is designed to capture online threats to rape, kill and inflict physical violence or cause people serious financial harm.
It aims to better protect the likes of celebrities, MPs and other public figures who receive harmful online hate.
Those found guilty of this offence could face up to five years in prison, under the new changes.
• The second is a harm-based communications offence, which hopes…
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Source : skynews
