Online services which fail to curb the circulation of harmful content on their respective platforms could soon face a ban in the UK. This includes the blockage of website services like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Google.
The proposal is designed in lines with the web reforms being practiced in China and so could soon face a backlash from the UK populace for totalitarian-style censorship- a suppression of free speech.
It has to be notified over here that a couple of years ago, a serious campaign started in the United Kingdom against the spread of child abuse images, terror content, revenge, X-rated content and hate crime.
Now, the latest law- appearing as a victory to online safety campaigners can force the tech giants to either offer censored content or face a service ban in the region.
FYI, the Government is planning to take the regulatory power of action in the following way
• First, it will impose a personal penalty for individual senior managers at firms which seriously break the rules.
• Web firms which fail to provide an annual report on the posting of harmful content on their platforms will also have to face serious consequences.
• A penalty ranging from £20 million or 4% of annual turnover will be imposed on companies who have breached the rules
• In worst circumstances, the website could face a ban on a temporary or a permanent note.
Note- From now on, those websites which encourage users from posting v^le content like negative reviews, Fake news, hatred material, comments of viewers on websites like YouTube will be prosecuted and banned if found guilty.
Jeremy Wright, UK’s Digital Secretary has admitted that the law could turn into a reality soon and also accepted the fact that it could turn into an internet reform being practiced in China and Russia.
However, Mr. Wright chose to remain silent on the issue that the new internet reform can put a block on the freedom of speech of the populace.
Sajid Javed, the UK Home Secretary has disclosed that a serious discussion on this issue had taken place at the G7 Summit recently and a white paper on the Online harms will be issued shortly.
