UK to Penalize Google and Facebook for Harmful Online Content

British regulators have recently unveiled a landmark proposal to penalize Facebook, Google and other tech giants that so far have not been able to stop the spread of harmful content online through their platforms which puts the privacy of their users at stake.

The aggressive plan which is drafted by the leading consumer protection authorities of the United Kingdom and approved by Prime Minister Theresa May is going to target a wide array of web content, which includes fake news, child exploitation, terrorist activity and extreme violence.

Once approved by Parliament, watchdogs in the UK will have the unprecedented powers to issue fines and other punishments when social media sites don’t swiftly remove the most outrageous posts, in the form of photos or videos from the public view.

Prime Minister Theresa May said in a statement, “The Internet can be brilliant at connecting people across the world - but for too long these companies have not done enough to protect users, especially children and young people, from harmful content”.

The document also increases the possibility that the decision makers of the major tech companies could be held directly responsible for failing to protect their respective platforms.

For Silicon Valley, the new regulations could amount to the most severe regulatory consequences, which the tech industry are facing globally, for not able to clean up a host of troubling content online.

Tech giants are struggling, but came under sharp criticism last month, when videos of the deadly shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand is proliferated online, despite strict security investments by Facebook, Google and Twitter on more human reviewers and more powerful tools to stop such posts from going viral.

The March shooting also prompted the government of Australia to adopt a content takedown law of its own and it has encouraged other countries of the world to consider similar new rules targeting the tech industry. Though the United States is still using decades-old federal law to shield social media companies from being held responsible for the content posted by its users.

Responding to the new regulation, Facebook once again highlighted its recent investments to locate and remove harmful content on its platform saying UK’s proposal “should protect society from harm while also supporting innovation, the digital economy and freedom of speech”.

Twitter assured that it would work with the government to “strike an appropriate balance between keeping users safe and preserving the Internet’s open, free nature”. Though Google is yet to come out with any response.

For now, the plan in the United Kingdom is in the form of a white paper that eventually will lead to a new legislation to ensure that the companies take responsibility for the safety of their users.