Committee recommends further consideration of draft Online Safety Bill
25 May 2021
The Communications and Digital Committee is concerned that pornography websites which do not allow users to share content are not covered by the government’s draft Online Safety Bill. The Committee has also outlined other areas where evidence which it has heard in its inquiry into freedom of expression online “points to some different legislative solutions than the ones currently selected by the government”, including the definition of harm, ‘content of democratic importance’ and journalistic content.
- Response from the Chair to Rt Hon Oliver Dowden MP, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, 25 May 2021
- Letter from Rt Hon Oliver Dowden MP, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to the Chair, 12 May 2021
- Inquiry: Freedom of expression online
- Communications and Digital Committee
Chair’s comments
Lord Gilbert of Panteg, chair of the committee, said:
“Keeping children safe online is essential.
“Ensuring that these websites take appropriate steps to prevent children from accessing them, and ensuring that they do not host illegal content, is crucial.
“We share the government’s aim of making the internet safer for our citizens. Britain has an opportunity to lead the world in human-rights based internet regulation. We must get this right.”