SOCIAL media companies like Facebook will face fines and legal action if they fail to do more to protect children and adults in Britain from so-called “Internet harm” under Conservative proposals unveiled today.
Tory HQ said the plan was to introduce new rights and protections against Internet harm with the advance of digitisation and automation, including a new entitlement for users to require social media platforms to delete their records from before the age of 18.
It also announced that moves will be made to improve digital contracting to make Britain the best place to do business as well as buy goods and services online.
Theresa May said: “The Internet has brought a wealth of opportunity but also significant new risks which have evolved faster than society’s response to them.
“We want social media companies to do more to help redress the balance and will take action to make sure they do.
“These measures will help make Britain the best place in the world to start and run a digital business, and the safest place in the world for people to be online,” added the Prime Minister.
Under the Conservative plan, which will be included in the party’s manifesto expected to be published next week, there will be:
*protections for individuals’ information online, including a new entitlement for users to require social media platforms to delete their records from before the age of 18;
*requirements for social media companies to do more to prevent harmful content to protect children online, with the threat of penalties if they fail to take action;
*new rules for doing business online to improve the digital economy, including simpler terms and conditions, automatic digital receipts for online products and services, and digital proofs of identification, a so-called “digital signature”;
*a new presumption that government services will always be digital by default with the expectation they will all be fully accessible online and
*households will be given “a freedom” to be connected to low-cost and fast broadband connections, anywhere in the country with transparent pricing, easy switching and an entitlement to redress when companies do not deliver.
Tory HQ explained that a future Conservative government would work with industry and charities to establish a new framework that “balances freedom with protection for users” and offers opportunities alongside obligations for businesses.
The proposals will seek to protect people, especially children, from Internet harm. This will include working with the industry to identify technical changes to protect minors from images of pornography, violence, and other age-inappropriate content on social media, app stores and content sites.
Where technology does not provide solutions, a future Conservative government would introduce new mandatory safeguards to protect the security and privacy of people.
Users will be given a new entitlement to require major social media platforms to delete all of their records from before the age of 18 in an echo of the "right to be forgotten" ruling, whereby EU citizens can ask search engines to remove information about them.
Under the Conservatives’ proposal social media sites will be required not to direct users unintentionally to hate speech, pornography, or other sources of harm. Social media platforms will be obliged to allow users to report inappropriate, bullying, harmful or illegal content, with take-down on a “comply or explain basis”.
Tory HQ said users’ data would also be better protected. Individuals would receive new entitlements to access and port data held about them by social media companies as well as a new legal expectation that their data should be stored in a secure way.
A new Data Protection Bill will be introduced to bring in strong new standards for the safe, flexible and dynamic use of data.
The party explained that the new rights and protections would be “backed up with a statutory sanctions regime,” giving regulators the ability to fine or prosecute companies which failed in their legal duties and to order the removal of content where it clearly breached UK law.
The Conservatives also propose to create a power in law for Government to introduce an industry-wide levy from social media companies and communication service providers to support awareness and preventative activity to counter internet harms as already exists with the gambling industry.
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