The U.K. has watered down its Online Safety Bill, an ambitious but controversial attempt to crack down on online racism, sexual abuse, bullying, fraud and other harmful material. Similar efforts are underway in the European Union and the United States, but the U.K.'s was one of the most sweeping. In its original form, the bill gave regulators wide-ranging powers to sanction digital and social media companies like Google, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok.
The Conservative government of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who took office last month, has now dropped that part of the bill, acknowledging that it could "over-criminalize" online content. Instead, the bill says companies must set out clear terms of service, and stick to them. Companies will be free to allow adults to post and see offensive or harmful material, as long as it is not illegal. But platforms that pledge to ban racist, homophobic or other offensive content and then fail to live up to the promise can be fined up to 10% of their annual turnover.
Companies also will have to show how they enforce user age limits designed to keep children from seeing harmful material.
'Waters down', The UK has, probably, the most draconian speech restrictions in the western world, with the exception of Canada's closed door 'human-rights' tribunals. What a joke CTV is.
Now that we know how hateful and antisemitic many in the LGBT community are as well as those who support this international symbol of hate are. I welcome the chance to spead the msg of who they are. Do all the morning crew at ctv feel the same way
YA THINK? Because the entire Western world is literally predicated on ideals like free speech. We are forgetting our values, and it will be our demise.
Why isn't CTV reporting on Bill C-11 'the censorship bill'? TO get you started
Let common sense prevail 👍👍
'Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers' UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights