Source · Select Committees · Petitions Committee
Recommendation 5
5
Accepted in Part
Paragraph: 44
The Government’s online safety proposals do not go far enough in acknowledging and seeking to...
Recommendation
The Government’s online safety proposals do not go far enough in acknowledging and seeking to tackle the heightened levels of abuse faced by some communities online. While the requirement for Ofcom to consult with civil society groups in Tackling Online Abuse 47 developing elements of the regulatory framework such as codes of practice for platforms is welcome, the Online Safety Bill should ensure specific protections for these communities. The Bill should align with the protections already established in the Equality Act and hate crime laws, and require social media companies to consider the different risks potentially faced by users from these communities on their platforms. It should also include additional user advocacy arrangements over and above those already set out in the draft Bill.
Government Response Summary
The government agrees that companies should consider risks to different user groups and has amended the Bill's risk assessment provisions. Companies will now be required to consider the risk of harm to individuals with certain characteristics or group memberships, including protected characteristics, but does not address additional user advocacy arrangements.
Paragraph Reference:
44
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government
Accepted in Part
We agree that companies should be required to give separate consideration to the risks faced by different user groups. We have therefore amended the risk assessment provisions to require companies to consider the risk of harm to individuals with a certain characteristic or due to membership of a certain group. This includes, but is not limited to, the protected characteristics.