The Online Harms White Paper sets out our plans for world-leading legislation to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online. We intend to establish in law a new duty of care on companies towards their users, overseen by an independent regulator. The duty of care will ensure companies have appropriate systems and processes in place to deal with harmful content on their services to keep their users safe. Compliance with this duty of care will be overseen by an independent regulator, which will have a range of enforcement powers.<\/p>
<\/p>
Alongside the White Paper, the government published the Social Media Code of Practice. This voluntary guidance sets out actions that the Government believes social media platforms should take to prevent bullying, insulting, intimidating and humiliating behaviours on their sites.<\/p>
<\/p>
Government has also asked the Law Commission to conduct a second phase of its review of the legal framework around abusive and offensive communications online. This will make specific recommendations for legal reform and is due to report in early 2021. Alongside this, the Law Commission will also consider whether co-ordinated harassment by groups of people online could be more effectively dealt with by the criminal law.<\/p>
<\/strong><\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4703", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Barran"}
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, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Baroness Barran"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-10-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-10-23T14:51:59.477Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
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, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "10"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2019-10-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Internet: Harassment"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"}
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], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to stop online (1) trolling, (2) harassment, and (3) cyberbullying; and what measures are in place to protect victims of such abuse.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4339", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Brady"}
}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Baroness Brady"}
], "uin" : "HL15"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1147001", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1147001/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The Online Harms White Paper sets out our plans for world-leading legislation to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online. We intend to establish in law a new duty of care on companies towards their users, overseen by an independent regulator. The duty of care will ensure companies have appropriate systems and processes in place to deal with harmful content on their services to keep their users safe. Compliance with this duty of care will be overseen and enforced by an independent regulator. Companies will be held to account for tackling a comprehensive set of online harms, including cyberbullying.<\/p> <\/p> Alongside the White Paper, we also published the Social Media Code of Practice. This sets out actions that the Government believes social media platforms should take to prevent bullying, insulting, intimidating and humiliating behaviours on their sites.<\/p> <\/strong><\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4361", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Matt Warman"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Boston and Skegness"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Matt Warman"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-10-07", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-10-07T13:11:45.057Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
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, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "10"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2019-09-30", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Internet: Harassment"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
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], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure that (a) Facebook, (b) Snapchat and (c) other internet sites remove inappropriate posts that bully and cause harm to individuals and groups.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4390", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Ian Blackford"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Ross, Skye and Lochaber"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Ian Blackford"}
], "uin" : "292262"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1135756", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1135756/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The Online Harms White Paper proposes establishing a new regulatory framework for online safety which will make clear companies\u2019 responsibilities to keep UK users safer online under a new duty of care. This framework will be overseen by an independent regulator which will have effective enforcement powers. Among the sanctions available to the regulator will be the power to fine operators who do not comply with their new duty of care.<\/p> <\/p> The government believes that behaviour which is illegal or unacceptable offline should be treated in the same way online and it is important to make sure that the criminal law is fit for purpose to deal with online harms. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport and the Ministry of Justice have engaged the Law Commission on a second phase of their review of abusive and offensive online communications.<\/p> <\/p> The Law Commission will review existing communications offences and make recommendations about options for reform. This will include considering whether co-ordinated harassment by groups of people online could be more effectively dealt with by the criminal law.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4247", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Ashton of Hyde"}
}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Ashton of Hyde"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-07-10", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-07-10T14:25:14.923Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
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, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "10"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2019-07-01", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Internet: Harassment"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"}
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], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce fines for cyber-harassment.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1796", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick"}
}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Taylor of Warwick"}
], "uin" : "HL16849"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1110603", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1110603/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The Government published the Online Harms White Paper on the 8 April. This sets out the Government\u2019s plans for world leading laws to make the UK one of the safest places in the world to be online. These will make companies more responsible for their users\u2019 safety online, especially children and other vulnerable groups.<\/p> <\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4115", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Margot James"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Stourbridge"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Margot James"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-05-03", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-05-03T12:15:07.697Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
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, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "10"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2019-04-09", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Internet: Harassment"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
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], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what resources his Department provide to (a) voluntary and (b) statutory support services to help prevent technology-facilitated abuse.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4642", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr Paul Sweeney"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Glasgow North East"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mr Paul Sweeney"}
], "uin" : "242936"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1003645", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1003645/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The Government has made clear that more needs to done to tackle online abuse, including anonymous abuse. We will publish a joint DCMS-Home Office White Paper in the Winter, setting out a range of legislative and non-legislative measures, and establishing clear standards for tech companies to help keep UK citizens safe.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4115", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Margot James"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Stourbridge"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Margot James"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2018-11-28", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2018-11-28T09:26:33.753Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "10"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2018-11-09", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Internet: Harassment"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the recommendations of the WebRoots Democracy report, Kinder, Gentler Politics: Tackling the rise of online abuse in political debate, published on 16 October 2018, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of (a) creating an online abusers register and (b) commissioning research into the links between anonymity and online abuse.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4486", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Hannah Bardell"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Livingston"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Hannah Bardell"}
], "uin" : "189750"}
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