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15 Mar Technology

Virtual Reality "Metaverse" Could Pose New Dangers To Children Online

Parliamentarians will be warned that the landmark Online Safety Bill may not currently go far enough to protect from emerging child safety threats posed by online virtual reality communities known as the "metaverse".

Why the Online Safety Bill needs a ‘metaverse’ amendment

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13 Mar Economy

Why the Online Safety Bill needs a ‘metaverse’ amendment

The Online Safety Bill is an important piece of legislation which will help keep users safe in many forms of online activity. However, the bill is in danger of making a critical oversight – immersive online experiences, using technology like virtual reality (VR), must be made subject to the same provisions as other types of user-generated content.

01 Mar Social affairs

The Online Safety Bill must go further to hold tech companies accountable for tackling misogynistic abuse online

The long-awaited Online Safety Bill is an example of legislation that is both personal and political for me and many parliamentarians.

16 Feb Technology

Tech Companies Resisting Online Safety Crackdown Shouldn't Be Welcome In The UK, Former Culture Secretary Says

Former Culture Secretary Nicky Morgan has said the UK should not back down on tough new rules that could see tech bosses sent to jail for failing to protect children online even if global firms won't sign up to them as the landmark Online Safety Bill works through parliament.

03 Feb Culture

The Online Safety Bill needs more robust protections for children – we cannot afford further delay

Like many Members of the House of Lords, I am a grandparent. As with most grandfathers, when I see stories on the news of children harmed by social media, I am troubled.

17 Jan Parliament

MPs Remain Cautious Over Tech Boss Crackdown In Online Safety Bill Despite Government Climbdown

MPs who pushed for social media bosses to face criminal sanctions have said they are pleased the government has “listened”, but many are still cautiously awaiting full details of the government’s approach.

13 Jan Economy

Surprise Economic Growth, "Cordial" Talks Between Sunak And Sturgeon, Health Secretary Warmer To Pay Increase For NHS Staff

The UK economy saw surprise growth of 0.1 per cent in November, in the first sign that the country might be able to overcome recession in 2023.

20 Dec 2022 Political parties

Westminster Is Addicted To Twitter, But Can It Live Without It?

When the political upheaval of partygate, the fall of two prime ministers and the appointment of a third, a porn-watching MP and numerous misconduct allegations tore through Westminster this year, there were few in Whitehall who weren’t refreshing their Twitter feeds every few seconds for their latest fix of the drama.

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29 Nov 2022 Culture

Online Safety Bill to include Law Commission recommendation targeting the encouragement of serious self-harm

Last week the Government announced that it will update the Online Safety Bill to include the Law Commission’s recommendation to make encouraging or assisting serious self-harm an offence.

29 Nov 2022 Technology

Online Safety Bill To Be Watered Down, Rishi Sunak Signals "Golden Era" With China Is Over

Ministers have risked a major battle with MPs over the Online Safety Bill as they dumped plans to ban "legal but harmful" content in a bid to win Commons support from free speech advocates.

14 Nov 2022 Culture

Tech companies failing to tackle fraud should face penalties

When I last wrote in February about the rise in rampant fraud, the fraud minister had just resigned, fraud made up over 40 per cent of crime against individuals, and the Ukraine crisis was being exploited by malicious fraudsters to con victims. Little has changed.

12 Nov 2022 Political parties

The Nadine Dorries interview: "If I didn’t have a thick skin, I would be dead by now"

Newly returned to the backbenches, former culture secretary Nadine Dorries tells Tali Fraser there are plenty more political scraps to come - and that she’s still Boris Johnson’s biggest cheerleader. Photography by Baldo Sciacca.

12 Nov 2022 Political parties

Nadine Dorries Says New Culture Secretary “Doesn’t Understand” Online Safety Bill

Former culture secretary Nadine Dorries has said there is “absolutely no reason” to alter the Online Safety Bill, and has accused her successor Michelle Donelan of not understanding the legislation.

02 Nov 2022 Culture

We cannot afford yet another delay to the Online Safety Bill

As Rishi Sunak starts his second week as Prime Minister, we estimate more than 800 sex offences against children online will likely have been reported to police in England and Wales since he walked into No 10.

26 Oct 2022 Culture

Flagship Online Safety Bill Delayed For Second Time In Four Months

The Online Safety Bill has been dropped from Commons business for the second time in four months, despite pledges it would return “in the autumn”.

13 Oct 2022 Technology

The world of online abuse is dark – it is vital the Online Safety Bill returns soon

In 2020 I found myself at the centre of a social media storm. My team noticed an increased number of abusive comments, tweets and messages. This was not caused by a position I had taken or a view I had expressed – it was due to the fact I had been lucky enough to have a baby.

06 Sep 2022 Culture

Nadine Dorries Resigns As Culture Secretary Despite Offer To Stay In Post

Culture secretary Nadine Dorries has resigned from her role in government following Boris Johnson's departure, despite an offer from new Prime Minister Liz Truss to keep stay in the post.

23 Aug 2022 Culture

Ten years ago I was groomed online – the Online Safety Bill must not be delayed any longer

Ten years ago, I was at the start of five years of being groomed and sexually exploited online by a man I met on Facebook.

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14 Jul 2022 Communities

IET comments on reports of a delay in the Online Safety Bill

A joint comment from Catherine Allen, co-author of the IET’s Safeguarding the metaverse report and member of the IET’s Digital Policy Panel, and child safety advocate and IET Honorary Fellow, Carol Vorderman M.A.(Cantab) MBE:

12 Jul 2022 Culture

Peter Wanless: The next Prime Minister must redouble efforts to protect children from online harms

Less than a week since Boris Johnson resigned, the number of MPs who have thrown their hat in the ring to be next Prime Minister has already reached double figures.

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15 Jun 2022 Education

Insta-scam: how scammers are targeting younger users online

Scammers are deviously adaptable. From targeted phone-calls to vulnerable people, to phishing emails to online shoppers, there’s always a new kind of hustle being developed.

26 May 2022 Home affairs

We must listen to survivors of online child sexual exploitation to strengthen protections in the Online Safety Bill

The Online Safety Bill presents a unique chance to tackle a range of significant online harms. Particularly careful attention, however, must be drawn to the most severe forms of online harm, such as the online sexual exploitation of children.

26 May 2022 Culture

Right now, the Online Safety Bill doesn’t go far enough to tackle harmful misinformation

This landmark legislation should fight for freedom of expression and battle threats posed by bad information — at present, it falls short on both counts.

How the Online Safety Bill jeopardises the foundation of security online

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17 May 2022 Home affairs

How the Online Safety Bill jeopardises the foundation of security online

Undermining encryption means the Online Safety Bill in its current form is not fit for purpose.