Later today, the Government’s Online Safety Bill will receive its Second Reading in the House of Commons. The Bill fixes important problems, but puts free speech in jeopardy.
Big Tech companies must take more responsibility for the content on their platforms. But the Government’s approach is incredibly dangerous. It will hand weapons to Government ministers to silence views they disagree with and apply strong commercial pressure to Big Tech executives to do the same.
It risks the most draconian censorship of ideas on the internet in the Western world. The Bill needs much stronger protections for free speech, with fewer powers handed over to the Secretary of State and Ofcom.