Committees

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales to give evidence to MPs and Peers on the Online Safety Bill

21 September 2021

Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia, will give evidence to the Joint Committee on the Online Safety Bill (chaired by Damian Collins MP) about the government’s proposals to regulate online safety this Thursday 23 September (from 11.15am). He will be asked how the draft Bill may affect open platforms like Wikipedia.

Witnesses

Thursday 23 September 2021

9:45am

  • William Perrin, Trustee, Carnegie Trust UK
  • Dr Edina Harbinja, Senior Lecturer in Media and Privacy Law, Aston University
  • Professor Sonia Livingstone, Professor of Social Psychology, LSE Department of Media and Communications
  • Professor Clare McGlynn, Professor of Law, Durham University

11:15am

  • Jimmy Wales, Founder, Wikipedia

12:25pm

  • Elizabeth Denham CBE, Information Commissioner, Information Commissioner's Office
  • Stephen Bonner, Executive Director - Regulatory Futures & Innovation, Information Commissioner's Office

Elizabeth Denham, the UK’s Information Commissioner will also give evidence as to whether the draft Bill provides an effective framework for protecting users from online harm. She will also be asked for her views about how the duties set out by the Bill for Ofcom will interact with the ICO’s current duties as a regulator (12pm.)

They will follow testimony from a range of expert academic witnesses (from 9.45am.) They include William Perrin from Carnegie UK, Dr Edina Harbinja from Aston University, Professor Sonia Livingstone from LSE and Professor Clare McGlynn from Durham University. They will share their views as to whether the safety duties included in the draft Bill will be effective.

Further information