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<p>The Government published the initial response to the Online Harms White Paper consultation
on 12 February 2020. This confirmed that the Government is developing legislation
on online harms to establish a new duty of care on online companies towards their
users, overseen by an independent regulator. Companies will be expected to ensure
higher levels of protection for children than for the typical adult user.</p><p> </p><p>The
White Paper provided an indicative list of online harms that in-scope companies would
be expected to address. That list was not exhaustive or fixed. Online harms legislation
will need to be sufficiently flexible, so that it is responsive to emerging technologies
and forms of harmful content and behaviour, while at the same time providing sufficient
certainty to companies. The White Paper also excluded some types of harm from scope,
including harm to companies and harm arising from a breach of data protection legislation
or cyber-security. Further information on the duty of care and harm to be addressed
will be provided in the Full Government Response to the White Paper consultation.</p>
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