UK regulator prepares tough action against tech giants

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Britain's media regulator will take tough action against tech companies that flout new rules on content moderation, despite its limited powers to stop the spread of lies online, the agency's head told the Financial Times.

Ofcom chief executive Melanie Dawes said Britain's online safety laws, which will come into effect for most of next year, directly addressed much of the internet activity that led to violence across the UK in August.

“We have quite strong powers,” she said in her first interview since the far-right unrest, adding that Ofcom was fully prepared to implement the legislation quickly.

There will be some [websites] She said we're preparing now for who we need to take strong action against so we can respond really quickly.

Asked what this means for Elon Musk's X platform, Dawes said Ofcom would ensure that

The UK's online safety regime is the first of its kind in the world and requires websites to set and enforce clear content moderation policies and quickly remove illegal content.

Ofcom can fine or, in extreme cases, shut down websites that break online safety laws. “We will be ready to use it,” Dawes said of the new power.

Mr.

During the August riots, British government officials complained that X had refused requests to remove content deemed harmful.

Musk has accused Keir Starmus' Labor government of censorship and falsely claimed it was freeing convicted pedophiles to jail people for their recent social media posts. This is a reference to the policy of releasing some criminals early to alleviate prison overcrowding.

The OSA makes it a crime to send a purportedly false message with the intent to cause non-trivial psychological or physical harm. Several people have been charged with the crime since the riot.

However, the bill has been criticized since the riots for being legal but lacking the power to deal with harmful content. This category was omitted from the bill passed last year due to freedom of expression issues.

Dawes, a former senior civil servant who has led Ofcom since 2020, acknowledged the regulator could not require social media platforms to have policies against disinformation when setting content moderation rules.

She also said Musk's post was not Ofcom's problem and that it was up to parliament to decide whether there should be laws to prevent the spread of falsehoods. Dawes warned of the need to protect freedom of expression.

Knowing how to create rules that deal with harmful misinformation while still allowing people to make their voices heard isn't entirely straightforward. [and] Maybe you'll make a mistake, she said.

Ofcom's ability to take on the world's richest and most powerful corporations has been challenged by some lawyers and lawmakers as they have struggled to sue GB News, holding the right-wing broadcaster liable for 12 breaches of impartiality rules. I'm still skeptical about it.

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Dawes said Ofcom was taking sanctions against GB News. It is a sign that the broadcaster, co-owned by hedge fund boss Paul Marshall, could face fines this year.

GB News was found to have failed to maintain due impartiality during a live televised debate with former Conservative chancellor Rishi Sunak in May. Ofcom said the breaches were serious and repeated.

Dawes defended Ofcom's speed of decision-making, saying: I don't think anyone wants a regulator shooting from the hip, especially when there are questions about freedom of expression.

She said the regulator had not launched an investigation into GB News in several months, adding she was pleased some improvements were being made.

Dawes has been mentioned as a possible candidate to head the British civil service following the resignation of Cabinet Secretary Simon Case on Monday. In an interview she said: “I am very happy in my current role and there is a lot more to do at Ofcom.”

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