Online Safety Bill not robust enough to tackle harmful online content, MPs warn

It is the second warning from MPs about the bill in as many months

The UK government's proposed Online Safety Bill, which would give Ofcom more power to regulate the internet, does not guarantee freedom of speech and fails to do enough to tackle the sharing of illegal and harmful content online.

That is the conclusion of a report by the Commons' Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee which is reviewing the draft bill.

In the report, MPs called on the government to overhaul the bill to ensure that it is effective and able to stop the most 'insidious' images of child abuse and violence against girls and women from being shared online.

MPs said content which is currently technically legal - such as deepfake pornography, parts of child abuse sequences known as 'breadcrumbing' and tech-enabled 'nudifying' - still has to be addressed. They say such content should be declared illegal 'either through primary legislation or as types of harmful content covered by the duties of care'.

Committee chair Julian Knight said the Online Safety Bill has the potential to be world-leading, landmark legislation but represents "a missed opportunity" in its current form.

He said the government needs to take urgent steps to ensure that some of the most pernicious forms of child sexual abuse do not go undetected because of a weakness in the law.

"These are matters of important public debate to which we will return as the Bill makes its way through Parliament," Knight added.

On the issue of child sexual abuse, the committee said the bill should address predatory behaviour meant to escape content moderation.

'One starting point should be to reframe the definition of illegal content to explicitly add the need to consider context as a factor, and include explicitly definitions of activity like breadcrumbing on the face of the bill.'

This is the second committee report in two months to demand changes to the Online Safety Bill.

Last month, the joint committee dealing with the bill said it should cover more offences, including content promoting self-harm, 'cyberflashing' and fraudulent advertising.

MPs also recommended making it illegal to intentionally send flashing images to people with photosensitive epilepsy, and to give porn sites a legal obligation to keep children away.

The joint committee also advised that Ofcom should have more powers to make digital platforms responsible for protecting users from child abuse, racist content and other harmful material. The regulator should have the ability to investigate, audit and fine tech companies, and define mandatory codes of practice for ISPs - with an accountable 'safety manager' if a service fails to protect users.

A revised form of the legislation is expected in the coming months.

In a statement to Sky News, a DCMS spokesperson said the Department does not agree with the committee's criticisms.

"The bill will make the UK the safest place to go online while protecting freedom of speech," they said, adding that the bill includes provisions such as a duty of care to prevent child sexual exploitation, grooming, and the dissemination of illegal and harmful content.