UK: Social media firms to face fines as part of crackdown on harmful content

The UK is set to unveil new measures against the spread of harmful and violent content on the internet, Mashable has reported.

The Online Harms white paper, set to be released on Monday morning by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, introduces a new independent regulator for social media companies, file hosting sites, and other companies which host content.

These companies will be required to ensure that they restrict the spread of harmful content on their platforms, and to abide by a mandatory “duty of care” statute.

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These “online harms” are defined as content which is violent, encourages suicide, contains disinformation, is cyberbullying, or results in children accessing inappropriate material.

The new regulator is looking to enforce these rules with threats of substantial fines, blocked access to sites, and the potential to impose liability on executives of these companies.

“The tech giants and social media companies have a moral duty to protect the young people they profit from,” Home Secretary Sajid Javid said in a statement.

The measures have been supported by child protection charities in the UK, such as the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), which welcomed punishments for companies which fail to act.

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