UK Government wants to introduce an ‘industry-wide levy’ on social media firms in cyber clamp down

Internet corporations such as Facebook, Twitter and Google are to be asked to pay a new tax under Government plans aimed at raising awareness around online bullying while clamping down on trolling, online abuse and underage-access to porn.

“Britain is to become the safest place in the world to be online thanks to new proposals” says Culture Secretary Karen Bradley.

In the past year, almost one-fifth of 12-15-year-olds encountered something online that they ‘found worrying or nasty in some way’ and 64% of 13-17-year-olds have seen images or videos offensive to a particular group.

Nearly half of adult users also say they have seen something that has upset or offended them on social media.

Cracking down on dangers like cyber-bullying, trolling and under-age access to porn, the Government’s Internet Safety Strategy proposes:

• A new social media code of practice to see a joined-up approach to remove or address bullying, intimidating or humiliating online content
• An industry-wide levy so social media companies and communication service providers contribute to raise awareness and counter internet harms
• An annual internet safety transparency report to show progress on addressing abusive and harmful content and conduct
• And support for tech and digital startups to think safety first – ensuring that necessary safety features are built into apps and products from the very start

The Government has published an Internet Safety Green Paper which proposes a social media ‘code of practice’ in a bid to combat online dangers.

Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Karen Bradley said:

“The Internet has been an amazing force for good, but it has caused undeniable suffering and can be an especially harmful place for children and vulnerable people

Behaviour that is unacceptable in real life is unacceptable on a computer screen. We need an approach to the Internet that protects everyone without restricting growth and innovation in the digital economy.

Our ideas are ambitious – and rightly so. Collaboratively, government, industry, parents and communities can keep citizens safe online, but only by working together.”

The Strategy also outlines the crucial role that education will play in raising online safety awareness, with a particular focus on children and parents:

• New compulsory school subjects – Relationship Education at primary and Relationship & Sex Education at secondary to provide online safety education
• Social media safety advice – Government will encourage social media companies to offer safety advice and tools to parents and safety messages will be built into online platforms
• Safety features highlighted – Government will work to raise awareness around the safety products and features that are available for parents.
• It is proposed that the UK Council for Child Internet Safety becomes the UK Council for Internet Safety to consider the safety of all users, not just children, and help deliver the measures within the Strategy.

David Wright, Director of the UK Safer Internet Centre said:

As the national centre dedicated to making the UK the safest place in the world to be online, the UK Safer Internet Centre, a partnership of three charities – Childnet, the Internet Watch Foundation and South West Grid for Learning – welcomes the Government’s Internet Safety Strategy, which reflects our own work and priorities.

Shadow Culture Secretary Tom Watson said:

“This announcement is short on detail.”

“The Government needs to say more about who exactly will pay the proposed levy, how much they will pay and how it will be spent. And they need to explain what transparency information they will be asking social media companies to provide.”