UK Online Safety Bill Enters Final Stages

Tim Bernard is a tech policy analyst and writer, specializing in trust & safety and content moderation. Westminster, London, UK. On September 6, the House of Lords held the third reading of the UK Online Safety Bill, the first draft of which was published in May 2021. It’s been a long time coming—the original white paper that preceded the bill was published in 2019, with a preceding strategy paper dating back to 2017.  Over the years, the bill has more than doubled in length to around 300 pages, inspired both vehement criticism and strong support, and been beset by multiple delays during the British government’s leadership turmoil. Now, the bill will return to the House of Commons for a final reading on September 12, when Members of Parliament will consider the amendments supported by the Lords.  As one might expect from its length, the scope of the bill is huge. Many requirements and offenses have been added on over the years by different ministers and under pressure from various interests both in and out of government. Not much has changed in recent months, and few backbench amendments have been accepted. The government’s overview from this past January of its proposed changes is a helpful guide to the most significant changes. Key Elements of the Bill One of the long-standing—and  largely uncontroversial—elements of the legislation is a series of requirements for internet services to conduct risk assessments for various harms (large platforms have similar duties under the EU’s DSA). This accompanies…UK Online Safety Bill Enters Final Stages