Thank you for contacting me about the Online Safety Bill.
The Online Safety Bill, which the Secretary of State believes will make the UK the safest place to go online, completed its first day of Report Stage in the House of Commons on 12 July.
The Bill had been scheduled to complete its second and final day of Report Stage the following week. However, Parliamentary business changed due to a vote of confidence in the Government and, as a result, the Report Stage was postponed. The Report Stage of the Bill was not completed before the summer recess.
There has been much concern about platforms removing content. The Secretary of State argues that the Bill strengthens people’s rights to express themselves freely online and ensures social media companies are not removing legal free speech. It is envisaged that users will have the right to appeal if they feel their post has been taken down unfairly. Furthermore, the Bill also puts requirements on social media firms to protect journalism and democratic political debate on their platforms.
Recent research from Ipsos has shown that 7 in 10 adults want social media firms to do more to tackle harmful content and over 4 in 5 adults are concerned about harmful content online. The Bill is scheduled to return to the Commons in the autumn session.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
Craig Whittaker MP
July 2022