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Andrew Selous

South West Bedfordshire

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Online Safety Bill (Internet Regulation)

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Often a force for good, the internet can also be misused; we cannot ignore the very real harms people face online every day. The Queen’s Speech included the Online Safety Bill which will introduce ground-breaking laws to protect children online and tackle the worst abuses on social media, including racist hate crimes.

Digital Secretary Nadine Dorries has also prioritised additional illegal offences to be written on the face of the Bill. This removes the need for them to be set out in secondary legislation, allowing faster enforcement action against tech firms which fail to remove the named illegal content. These offences include but are not limited to: revenge porn; hate crime; fraud; weapons offences; the promotion or facilitation of suicide; people smuggling; and incitement to and threats of violence.

A recent strengthening of the proposed legislation will mean that firms must remove harmful content that has been reported to them and must prevent people being exposed to it in the first place. Ofcom, the UK’s independent communications regulator, will oversee the regulatory regime, backed up by mandatory reporting requirements and strong enforcement powers to deal with non-compliance. These powers include issuing fines of up to ten per cent of annual worldwide turnover to non-compliant sites or blocking them from being accessible in the UK.

I know that the Government has acted on recommendations set out by the Law Commission in its report on harmful online communications. New provisions include the introduction of a harm-based communications offence and an offence for when a person sends a communication they know to be false with the intention to inflict harm. Furthermore, I welcome the decision to create a new cyberflashing offence with perpetrators facing up to two years behind bars. I understand that the Government is also considering the report’s recommendations on specific offences relating to epilepsy trolling.

More broadly, I am encouraged that this Bill delivers on the manifesto commitment to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online by improving protections for users, especially children, whilst protecting freedom of expression.

Protecting children online from age-inappropriate content can be best achieved through the wider online harms proposals. All sites that publish pornography will be legally required to use a proportionate range of tools, including age assurance and age verification technologies, to ensure their users are 18 years old or over. This will allow a consistent and comprehensive approach to harmful content across different sites and will go further than the Digital Economy Act’s focus on online pornography on commercial adult sites.

Finally, I share the concerns raised about the deliberate targeting of epilepsy sufferers online. I want to reassure you that the targeting of epilepsy sufferers online already constitutes a criminal offence under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. Furthermore, as part of the Online Safety Bill, the new duty of care will ensure companies have robust systems and processes in place to tackle illegal content on their services, including tackling online abuse which provokes epilepsy seizures. The Government is considering the Law Commission’s recommendations for specific offences to be created including epilepsy trolling and I will follow developments closely.

Campaign Responses

  • Access to Waterways
  • Adult Dependant Relative Visa
  • Adult Social Care
  • Afghanistan and Pakistan
  • Afghanistan: Nowzad
  • Afghanistan Refugees
  • Afghanistan Refugees (Christians)
  • Afghanistan Withdrawal
  • Age UK's Winter Warmth Campaign
  • Air Passenger Duty
  • Air Quality
  • Alcohol Duty
  • All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs)
  • Animal Research
  • Animal Testing - Dogs
  • Animal Welfare Legislation
  • Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill
  • Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill: Cats
  • Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill: Dogs
  • Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill
  • Arms Exports
  • Arms Exports: Israel
  • Arthritis
  • ASRU Change Programme
  • Asylum Seekers and Refugee Resettlement
  • Asylum Support and Employment
  • Avian Influenza
  • Aviation Industry Concerns
  • Badgers and Bovine TB
  • BBC Funding
  • BBC World Service
  • Behaviour in Schools
  • Bite Back Better Campaign
  • Bomb Disposal and Whales
  • Bowel Cancer Awareness Month
  • Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions
  • Breast Cancer
  • Building Safety Bill
  • Bus Deregulation
  • Business and Human Rights
  • Caged Farm Animals
  • Campaign - #CatchUpWithCancer
  • Cancer Research
  • Cancer Treatment
  • Carers and Unpaid Carers
  • Cash Availability and Acceptance
  • Child Deaths Worldwide
  • Child Maintenance Service (CMS)’s Collect and Pay Service
  • Child Poverty
  • Childhood Cancer Outcomes
  • Children Affected by Humanitarian Crises
  • Children with Sight Loss (Education)
  • Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill
  • Climate Change
  • Commercial Energy Prices
  • Consular Services in Afghanistan
  • Conversion Therapy
  • COP26
  • COP26 Commitments (100 Days)
  • Coronavirus: Clinically Extremely Vulnerable
  • Coronavirus: Coronavirus Act
  • Coronavirus: Debt Cancellation
  • Coronavirus: Face Coverings
  • Coronavirus: Face Coverings in School
  • Coronavirus: Hospitality Support
  • Coronavirus: International Travel
  • Coronavirus: Mandatory Vaccination
  • Coronavirus: NHS and Social Care Staff (Vaccines)
  • Coronavirus: Provision of Tests
  • Coronavirus: Regulations and Living with COVID
  • Coronavirus: Self Isolation
  • Coronavirus: Support for the Self-Employed
  • Coronavirus: Testing (Childminders)
  • Coronavirus: Travel Industry Support
  • Coronavirus: Vaccines (Developing Countries)
  • Coronavirus: Vaccine Passports
  • Coronavirus: VAT Threshold
  • Cost of Living
  • Courier Employment Rights
  • Cyprus
  • Dangerous Dogs Act
  • Deaths Related to the Benefits System
  • Defibrillators and the Automated External Defibrillators (Public Access) Bill
  • Dementia Research and Diagnosis
  • Democratic Freedoms in the UK
  • Deportation Flights
  • Derby County Football Club
  • Diabetes
  • Disability Benefit Assessments
  • Domestic Abuse (Serial Abusers & Stalkers)
  • Domestic Abuse (Time Limits)
  • Dr Liam Fox’s Down Syndrome Bill
  • Early Years Funding
  • Education and Development Globally
  • Elections Act
  • Elections Act - Blind and Partially Sighted Voters
  • Elections Act - Electoral Commission
  • Elections Act - First Past the Post
  • Elections Act - Joint Campaigning
  • Electric Scooter Trial Concerns
  • Electronic Communications Code
  • Elephants and Ivory Sales
  • End Child Poverty Coalition
  • Endometriosis and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
  • Energy Charter Treaty
  • Energy Price Cap
  • Energy Security Strategy
  • Environment Bill
  • Epilepsy
  • Epilepsy: Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
  • Fairtrade Fortnight Campaign
  • Fire and Rehire Tactics
  • Fireworks
  • Football Governance
  • Football Index
  • Fracking
  • Free Trade Agreement with Australia
  • Fuel Duty and Prices
  • Fuel Shortages
  • Fur and Foie Gras
  • Future of the TV Licence
  • Gambling with Credit Cards
  • Gambling Regulation
  • Gas Boilers
  • Gaza
  • Gene Editing and Animal Welfare
  • Genetic Technology
  • Glue Traps
  • Good Law Project & Runnymede: Mike Coupe & Dido Harding
  • Government Contracts
  • Green Alternatives to Gas Boilers
  • Green Finance
  • Green Investment - 2021 Spending Review
  • Green New Deal
  • Guidance on Boycotts (Stop BDS)
  • Hamas
  • Hate Crime (Misogyny)
  • Health and Care Bill
  • Health and Care Bill: Integrated Care Boards and Private Sector Providers
  • Health and Care Bill: Privatisation
  • Health and Care Bill: Workforce
  • Health and Disability Green Paper
  • Heat Pumps
  • Hedgehogs
  • Hedgerows
  • HGV Driver Shortage
  • HIV and AIDS
  • Holiday Lets
  • Housing and the Queen’s Speech
  • Housing Emergency (Shelter)
  • Housing First
  • HS2 and the Environment
  • HS2: Cost Transparency
  • HS2: General
  • Human Rights Act
  • Hunting Act 2004
  • Illegal Immigration (Nationality and Borders Bill)
  • Improving Access to the Countryside
  • Independent Review of Children's Social Care
  • Intellectual Property
  • Interest on Student Loans
  • Introducing Extended Producer Responsibility: Glass
  • Islamophobia
  • Israel: Amnesty International
  • Ivory Sales
  • Jagtar Singh Johal
  • Jerusalem
  • Jim Fitton
  • Judicial Review
  • Julian Assange
  • Junk Food Advertising Ban
  • Keeping Primates as Pets
  • TV Licence Fee
  • Live Animal Exports
  • Liver Disease
  • Living Wage and Key Workers
  • Loan Charge
  • Local Electricity Bill
  • Maternity Services
  • Meadows and Grasslands
  • Medicinal Cannabis
  • Menopause
  • Mental Health
  • Mental Health Facilities
  • Mental Health Hubs (Children and Young People)
  • Midwifery Units
  • Migrant Channel Crossings
  • Modern Slavery
  • Motor Neurone Disease
  • Multiple Sclerosis
  • National Insurance Contributions
  • National Security
  • Nationality and Borders Act (Accommodation for Asylum Seekers)
  • Nationality and Borders Act (Clause 9)
  • Nationality and Borders Act (Clause 11)
  • Nationality and Borders Act (Overseas Asylum Processing)
  • Nationality and Borders Act (Unaccompanied Children)
  • Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
  • Neonicotinoids
  • New Plan for Immigration
  • NHS Pay
  • NHS Preparations for Winter
  • NHS Privatisation
  • Nigeria: Mubarak Bala
  • Non-Religious Belief (Human Rights)
  • Occupied Palestinian Territories
  • Offshore Wind
  • Oil Drilling and Cambo Oil Field
  • Online Marketplaces (Regulation)
  • Online Safety Bill (Internet Regulation)
  • Online Safety Bill (Misinformation)
  • Online Safety Bill (Pornography)
  • Online Safety Bill (Private Communications)
  • Online Safety Bill (Protecting Children from Online Porn)
  • Online Safety Bill (Suicide and Self-Harm)
  • Online Safety Bill (Women and Girls)
  • Onshore Wind
  • Onshore Wind (Planning)
  • Palestinian Human Right Defenders
  • Palliative Care
  • Pancreatic Cancer
  • Parental Bereavement
  • Parkinson's Disease
  • Pavement Parking
  • Peat
  • Plastic Pollution
  • Police and Sarah Everard Case
  • Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill
  • Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (Climate Protesters)
  • Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (Courts and Tribunals)
  • Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (Data Extraction)
  • Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (Parliament Square)
  • Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (Protection of Retail Workers)
  • Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (Protests)
  • Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (Protests and Noise)
  • Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (Protests Tactics)
  • Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (Unauthorised Encampments)
  • Polluter Pays Bill
  • Prescription Charges
  • Primary School Assessments
  • Prisons (Violence) Bill
  • Private Rented Sector
  • Processing Asylum Claims in Rwanda
  • Proportional Property Tax
  • Prostate Cancer
  • Protection of Pollinators
  • Protests - Abortion Clinics
  • Public Inquiry on COVID-19
  • Public Sector Pensions
  • Public Service Pensions and Judicial Offices Bill
  • Puppy and Kitten Sales
  • Queen's Speech - Bill of Rights and Brexit Freedoms
  • Radiotherapy
  • Rail Vs Air Travel
  • Reforming Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing
  • Right to Work Checks
  • Royal Mail
  • Sarcoma UK Drop-In Session
  • Save Our Pubs (CAMRA)
  • SEND Green Paper
  • Sentencing (Dangerous Driving)
  • Sexual Harassment
  • Shared Parental Leave
  • Social Care Cap (Means Test)
  • Stamp Duty Land Tax
  • State Pension
  • State Pension Age
  • Statutory Sick Pay
  • Stop and Search
  • Support for Deaf Pupils
  • Support for People with Disabilities
  • Support for Renters
  • Support for Road Hauliers
  • Support for the Pig Industry
  • Support for the Travel Industry
  • Sustainable Fishing
  • Tax Avoidance
  • Teachers’ Pay
  • Tourism and VAT
  • Training Collars for Dogs
  • Transport for Disabled People
  • Trophy Hunting
  • UK Foreign Aid
  • UK Trade and Business Commission’s First Annual Report
  • Universal Credit and Working Tax Credits - £20 per Week Uplift
  • Universal Credit Standard Allowance for Those Under 25
  • Universal Credit (Under 25)
  • Universities: Antisemitism (IHRA Definition)
  • Uplands
  • Vaccinations for COVID-19
  • Valerie's Law
  • Vaping
  • VAT on Electric Vehicle Charging in Public Places
  • Violence Against Women and Girls
  • Voter ID
  • Voting System
  • Water Fluoridation
  • Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Developing Countries
  • Wealth Tax
  • Welfare of Farm Animals
  • Women’s Health Strategy - Miscarriages
  • Young People’s Wellbeing

Andrew Selous MP South West Bedfordshire

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