BLM – ONLINE HARMS GET REAL? TRUMP’S SOCIAL MEDIA BAN AND THE FUTURE OF SOCIAL MEDIA REGULATION

Author - Steve Kuncewicz

On 15 December, the UK Government set out its proposals to regulate social media in the UK. With the aim of making the UK “the safest place in the world to be online”, a new legal duty of care will be established as and when the Online Harms Bill eventually comes before Parliament. It aim is to force businesses with a significant online component to take more responsibility for the safety of their users and tackle a number of “harms” which could be caused by content or activity on their services, all of which will be overseen and enforced by OFCOM as an independent regulator. Transparency, trust and accountability will be at the heart of the new regime, and the latter is at the heart of the argument around when and how social networks should step in and take immediate action in relation to the conduct of its users.