Ofcom given new powers to make social media safer
Ofcom is to be given new regulatory powers in order to make social media safer and hold the firms that operate such portals accountable for harmful content.
Until now, companies such as Facebook and Twitter have mostly been responsible for their own sites, but there have long been calls to change this amid a raft of inflammatory, abusive and offensive content posted online by users.
The government is expected to announce tomorrow (February 13th 2020) Ofcom's new powers as part of a legal duty of care.
It is likely that tech firms will need to take more responsibility for protecting people from harmful material such as cyber bullying and to ensure content is quickly removed should it appear at all.
This may mean a recruitment drive is necessary to cover gaps in the ability of firms to cope with such requirements.
A number of other countries have also been attempting to deal with social media safety lately, with Germany introducing the NetzDG Law in 2018 and Australia bringing in its Sharing of Abhorrent Violent Material Act in April last year.