Thursday, 13 May 2021

Will you be a trailblazer and protect children from abuse online Campaign Response

Thank you to the many constituents getting in touch regarding the protection of children online.

As a rule, I do not support Early Day Motions as they often do not get debated and have no legislative effect.

There has however been a lot of work on protecting children online particularly with the Online Harms Bill. I was pleased following the government response to the Online Harms White Paper under Part 3 ‘Regulation in practice – 5. A regulator for online safety the summary stated:

Summary:

• An independent regulator will implement, oversee and enforce the new regulatory framework. It will have sufficient resources and the right expertise and capability to perform its role effectively.

 

• The regulator will also have broader responsibilities to promote education and awareness-raising about online safety, and to promote the development and adoption of safety technologies to tackle online harms.

• The regulator will take a risk-based approach, prioritising action to tackle activity or content where there is the greatest evidence or threat of harm, or where children or other vulnerable users are at risk.

• To support this, the regulator will undertake and commission research to improve the evidence base, working closely with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and other partners.

• The regulator will take a proportionate approach, expecting companies to do what is reasonable, depending on the nature of the harm and the resources and technology available to them.

• The regulator will have a legal duty to pay due regard to innovation, and to protect users’ rights online, being particularly mindful to not infringe privacy and freedom of expression.

• The government is consulting on whether the regulator should be a new or existing body. The regulator will be funded by the industry in the medium term, and the government is exploring options such as fees, charges or an industry levy to put it on a sustainable footing.

You can see the full consultation outcome on the link below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/online-harms-white-paper/online-harms-white-paper#a-regulator-for-online-safety

If you would like to discuss this further or any other matter, then please do not hesitate to contact me.

cherilyn.mackrory.mp@parliament.uk

 

 

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