Tue Sep 19, 2023 – 6:52 pm EDT
LONDON (LifeSiteNews) — The U.K. parliament this week passed its sprawling internet regulation bill that critics have warned could destroy privacy and threaten free speech. The bill’s restrictions have been watered down after backlash from free speech advocates, but the newly amended measure has still sparked concerns that it’s affording too much power to tech companies.
Members of Parliament held their final debate Tuesday and passed the massive “Online Safety Bill” (OSB), which is reputedly meant to “make the UK the safest place in the world to be online, particularly for children.”
The passage of the measure came after Members of Parliament spent years hammering out the nearly 300-page document. The bill now awaits Royal Assent and will be enforceable in mid-2024.
The bill is intended to put an end to a long list of harmful online content, including child sexual abuse, fraud, hate crimes, and coercive or controlling behavior, The Independent reported. BBC reported that “[t]hose who fail” to comply with the rules “can face large fines of up to £18m, or in some cases executives” of Big Tech companies and small businesses “could face imprisonment.”
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