Key Facts

• Clause 1 provides a high-level overview of the Online Safety Bill.
• The Opposition welcomes the Bill in principle but expresses concerns about its drafting and approach.
• Dan Carden apologises for missing evidence sessions due to contracting COVID.
• Roger Gale is discussing the Online Safety Bill.
• The focus includes key definitions in the bill.
• Debates are scheduled for Clause 3, Schedules 1 and 2, and Clause 4.
• The Government estimates 25,100 platforms could be caught under the new regime.
• Approximately 180,000 platforms could potentially fall within scope of the Bill.
• 12 million out of 18.4 million child sexual abuse reports made by Facebook in 2019 related to private channels.
• The MP highlights concerns about private messaging and the use of AI to find illegal content.
• The Bill needs to be future-proofed for emerging technologies like metaverse and virtual reality.
• Concerns are raised about online gaming safety, with specific mention of apps like Fortnite and Roblox.
• The Internet Watch Foundation underlined the importance of end-to-end encryption being in scope of the Online Safety Bill.
• Nudification software takes photographs only of women and makes them appear completely naked, designed for sexual harassment.
• Schedule 2 has been expanded to include commercial pornography.
• The Online Safety Bill is tech-agnostic.
• Snapchat did not exist when the White Paper was conceived.
• App stores are not in scope of the Bill, but apps with user-to-user features or conveying pornography may be regulated by Ofcom.
• The Government has a counter-disinformation unit focusing on Russia/Ukraine conflict.
• The National Security Bill includes provisions criminalising foreign interference.
• There are technical issues with the live feed of the Online Safety Bill debate.
• The Committee will move to Committee Room 9 for the afternoon sitting.
• Members need to take their papers and laptops with them due to the room not being locked between sittings.
• Subsection 7 of the Online Safety Bill lacks Scotland-specific provisions.
• Amendment 126 discusses variations in legislation for Scotland, Northern Ireland, and England/Wales.
• Clause 6 introduces a duty of care for online service providers.
• The Online Safety Bill is described as a complex piece of legislation.
• There is an unusual amount of crossover between different clauses in this bill, making debates more challenging.
• Chairman takes a relaxed view on stand part debates.
• Amendment 69 requires providers of regulated user-to-user services to name an individual as the provider’s illegal content safety controller.
• This individual is responsible for ensuring compliance with risk assessments under sections 8 and 9 of the Bill.
• The amendment aims to embed online safety regulations at board level within companies.
• Amendment 69 would require regulated companies to appoint an illegal content safety controller.
• The amendment aims to make senior management accountable for harms caused through their platforms.
• The Financial Conduct Authority uses personal accountability regimes to deter harmful behaviour in financial services.
• The enforcement provisions include senior management criminal liability for falsifying or withholding information with a prison sentence of up to two years.
• Financial penalties can reach 10% of global revenue which can amount to billions in certain cases.
• There are 'unplugging' powers allowing Ofcom to disconnect companies from operating in the UK if compliance is not met.
• Amendments aim to create duties for publishing and supplying illegal content risk assessments to Ofcom.
• Labour supports the duty of care approach but seeks further transparency in implementation.
• The government asserts its measures are ahead of similar legislation being developed by the European Union.
• Amendment 14 seeks to ensure that regulated companies’ boards or senior staff have responsibility for illegal content risk assessments.
• Amendment 25 requires the risk assessment to take into account the risk of the production of illegal content.
• Amendment 19 incorporates a requirement to consider cross-platform risk.
• Amendments aim to include duties to prevent the production of illegal content and collaborate with other companies to mitigate risks.
• Labour welcomes moves to compel user-to-user services to provide illegal content risk assessments.
• Amendment 10 aims to increase transparency around illegal content risk assessments.
• Amendment 14 would require boards or senior managers to approve risk assessments related to adults.
• Amendment 25 aims to hold regulated services accountable for online sexual exploitation of children.
• The Philippines is a source country for livestreamed child sexual exploitation.
• PhotoDNA cannot detect newly produced child sexual exploitation material.
• Frida was groomed on Facebook and migrated to WhatsApp, leading to abuse at age 13.
• Amendment 20 relates to being directed to other content, impacting services like Discord and Facebook.
• Amendment 21 addresses collaboration among companies, highlighting a case where Facebook employed an outside company to harm TikTok's reputation.
• Amendment 30 is related to the production of child sexual abuse content, with 75% self-generated by children or young people coerced into producing it.
• Clause 8 sets out risk assessment duties for illegal content on user-to-user services.
• Companies have three months to carry out initial risk assessments after schedule 3 is voted on.
• There are concerns that Ofcom would be overwhelmed by receiving 25,000 risk assessments from all companies in scope.
• Roger Gale (Herne Bay and Sandwich) (Conservative) announces the adjournment.
• The Committee will reconvene this afternoon at Room 9.