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ARTICLE · 22 SEPTEMBER 2023

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UK's Online Safety Bill

Shepherd and Wedderburn
Shepherd and Wedderburn
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On 19 September 2023 the UK's Online Safety Bill passed its final parliamentary debate. It will shortly receive Royal Assent and become law (The Online Safety Act 2023).

United KingdomMedia, Telecoms, IT, Entertainment
Joanna Boag-Thomson
Joanna Boag-Thomson
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On 19 September 2023 the UK's Online Safety Bill passed its final parliamentary debate. It will shortly receive Royal Assent and become law (The Online Safety Act 2023). The intention of the legislation is to make the internet a safer place for the UK's users.

The UK's Online Safety Bill has been controversial. It contains measures designed to increase safety by requiring social media and high-risk/high-reach gaming platforms that enable user-to-user interactions/user-generated content to prevent or remove illegal content. Under the legislation, illegal content includes (amongst other things) content that is potentially harmful to children, facilitates animal cruelty or torture, promotes self-harm, shows controlling or coercive behaviour or extreme sexual violence. These are laudable aims, but there are concerns that despite the existence of "free expression provisions" the legislation will curtail the dynamic and creative environment of the internet.

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