Britain makes internet safer, as Online Safety Bill finished and ready to become law

The Online Safety Bill passed its final Parliamentary debate and is now ready to become law. The bill expects social media platforms to:

• Remove illegal content quickly or prevent it from appearing in the first place, including content promoting self-harm;
• Prevent children from accessing harmful and age-inappropriate content;
• Enforce age limits and age-checking measures;
• Ensure the risks and dangers posed to children on the largest social media platforms are more transparent, including by publishing risk assessments;
• Provide parents and children with clear and accessible ways to report problems online when they do arise;
• Place a legal responsibility on social media platforms to enforce the promises they make to users when they sign up, through terms and conditions;
• Offer users the option to filter out harmful content, such as bullying, that they do not want to see online.

If social media platforms do not comply with these rules, Ofcom could fine them up to £18 million ($22 million) or 10% of their global annual revenue, whichever is biggest—meaning fines handed down to the biggest platforms could reach billions of pounds.