Articles tagged with: online safety bill

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.

25 Apr 2022 Culture

Ofcom Should Have Powers To Regulate Consent In Porn, Home Affairs Committee Chair Says

The chair of the home affairs committee has called for the Online Safety Bill to include new powers for media regulator Ofcom to investigate whether adult entertainers have properly consented to appear in pornographic films.

Working together to tackle the causes, not just the consequences, of fraud

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20 Apr 2022 Education

Working together to tackle the causes, not just the consequences, of fraud

In the three minutes it will take you to read this article, another £1,500 will have been stolen by fraudsters.

Safeguarding the Metaverse: Why regulation must not lose pace with emerging technologies

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20 Apr 2022 Education

Safeguarding the Metaverse: Why regulation must not lose pace with emerging technologies

Technological change can be rapid and bewildering. Aspects of technology that are now commonplace would have been simply unimaginable just a few years ago.

19 Apr 2022 Culture

The Online Safety Bill must be strengthened to end years of industry inaction on child safety

Olivia (pseudonym) was 15 when she called Childline in despair.

Glaring loophole in Online Safety Bill must be closed to ensure victims get the protection they need from scams

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19 Apr 2022 Education

Glaring loophole in Online Safety Bill must be closed to ensure victims get the protection they need from scams

Britain is in the grip of a fraud epidemic. Fraud is easily the most common type of crime and last year represented almost two in five of all reported crime incidents. That’s more than theft, violent and knife crime combined.

01 Apr 2022 Communities

UK Refugee Sponsors Have Been Targeted By Scammers After Offering Homes To Ukrainians

People in the UK offering to open their homes to Ukrainian refugees say they have been targeted by scammers seeking to steal money and personal information.

21 Mar 2022 Culture

We finally have an Online Safety Bill with real teeth to regulate harmful online content

Way, way, way back in the day (actually twelve years ago), as minister for technology I responded to a debate called by then MP Claire Perry, who was quite rightly concerned by how easy it was for kids to access adult content online.

21 Feb 2022 Culture

MPs Call For A Crackdown On "Extreme Dieting" Posts To Be Added To The Online Safety Bill

Content promoting or glamorising "extreme" diets and exercise regimes could be severely restricted on social media platforms under the government’s Online Safety Bill.

09 Feb 2022 Social affairs

MPs Call For An "Extreme Porn" Ban To Be Added To The Online Safety Bill

The chair of the Joint Select Committee on the Online Safety Bill has called for “extreme pornography” to be banned from the internet in the UK.

08 Feb 2022 Culture

We must turn the tide on Britain's rampant fraud problem

The recent resignation of the government’s anti-fraud minister, Lord Agnew, was a dramatic and critical reminder of the scale of the UK’s rampant fraud problem and its inability to tackle it.