UK AIMS TO REGULATE SOCIAL MEDIA FIRMS OVER CONTENT REMOVAL

Sat 12 December 2020:

The British government will announce plans for a new law next week under which social media companies will have a duty to be impartial and be barred from “arbitrarily” removing comments because they are controversial, The Times newspaper reported.

UK ministers will announce plans on Tuesday for a statutory duty of care, which will be enforced by Ofcom, the broadcasting regulator, the newspaper reported, without citing a source.

Firms that fail to meet the obligations may face multimillion-pound fines or be blocked from operating in Britain, according to the report.

The newspaper cited a source as saying that the British government was concerned that social media companies were removing legitimate content on grounds that it was controversial rather than because it was harmful or inaccurate.

A government representative was not immediately available for comment.

-Reuters