UK's Online Safety Bill: Implications For Tech Firms

• Published date: 10 June 2022
• Subject Matter: Corporate/Commercial Law, Media, Telecoms, IT, Entertainment, Compliance, Corporate and Company Law, IT and Internet, Social Media
• Law Firm: Gamma Law
• Author: Mr David B. Hoppe

The government of the United Kingdom is currently considering an Online Safety Bill (OSB) in an effort to ensure safety and security within the metaverse. Following months of debate, delay, and discussion, the OSB had its second reading in the House of Commons on April 19. The bill contains potentially wide-ranging implications for virtual world users and may influence the way emerging technology companies will operate in the metaverse.

Key Provisions of the Online Safety Bill

The OSB is designed to protect UK-based internet users by bringing certain internet services under the regulatory eye of the Office of Communications (Ofcom), the regulatory authority responsible for broadcasting, telecommunications, and postal services. In essence, the bill seeks to ensure that technology companies such as Meta (formerly known as Facebook), Twitter, and others enforce their terms and conditions, remove illegal material, shield children from harmful content, and allow adults to opt-out of viewing otherwise legal and allowable content they don't want to see. It is an ambitious attempt to regulate the internet and the metaverse, as it intends to outlaw revenge porn, dealing in drugs or weapons, or content that promotes suicide. It was introduced in Parliament in March 2022 subsequent to the publication of the Online Harms White Paper in December 2020. The key provisions of the OSB and their potential impact on emerging technology companies are as follows:

Protecting Children and Minors

The OSB would protect children and minors from harmful content such as pornography, racist rhetoric and slurs, the glamorization of violence, criminal influences, and other content that could exert detrimental physical, emotional, or psychological impact. The OSB requires online platforms to enhance their technologies that safeguard families from cyber threats. It specifically requires porn websites and other platforms hosting sexually explicit content to block children and minors. The provision on the protection of minors and children under the OSB suggests that additional regulatory burdens would be placed on emerging technology companies that provide content or services aimed at children.

Fake Advertisements

OSB introduces wider reforms targeting online advertising regulations, and grants Ofcom more extensive powers to regulate harmful, offensive, and misleading advertisements. Further, in order to clamp down on fraud, the bill requires influencers to disclose whether they are...