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Government announces plans to legislate to ensure tougher security online
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New laws are being created to make sure that the UK is the ‘safest place in the world to be online’, according to the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Matt Hancock. The move is part of a series of measures included in the
Government’s response to the
Internet Safety Strategy green paper, in which it makes clear that much more needs to be done to tackle the full range of online harm.
A
recent consultation revealed that users ‘feel powerless to address safety issues online’ and that ‘technology companies operate without sufficient oversight or transparency’. It also showed that six in ten people had witnessed inappropriate or harmful content online.
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With this in mind, the UK Government is ‘taking the lead’, working collaboratively with tech companies, children’s charities and other stakeholders to develop the detail of the new legislation. It is also working with social media companies to protect users and while several of the tech giants have taken important and positive steps, it says ‘the performance of the industry overall has been mixed’.Hancock said:
'We strongly support the freedom of speech but that does not mean that we should turn a blind eye to abuse or bullying. Research suggests up to 25% of children and young people
in the UK experience cyberbullying. When the Internet is misused by individuals, and that misuse is amplified by the connectivity provided by social media platforms, it can cause real and lasting harm, especially to young people and the vulnerable.'
