ONLINE SAFETY BILL STRENGTHENED AFTER CONCERNS RAISED
The Government’s Online Safety Bill is to be strengthened in a bid to better tackle harmful online content, the Digital Secretary has announced.
The changes include a list of harmful types of content which tech firms must remove as a priority, such as revenge porn and fraud, while provisions introduced to the Bill make domestic violence and threats of violence criminal offences.
The announcement follows criticism by children’s charities and campaign groups that the existing provisions of the Online Safety Bill did not go far enough to tackle harms faced by many younger users online.
“We are listening to MPs, charities and campaigners who have wanted us to strengthen the legislation,” Digital Secretary, Nadine Dorries said.
“Today’s changes mean we will be able to bring the full weight of the law against those who use the internet as a weapon to ruin people’s lives and do so quicker and more effectively.”
CREATE NEW AGENCY TO TACKLE ONLINE SCAMS, MPS SAY
MPs are calling on the Government to create a new law enforcement agency in a bid to tackle growing numbers of online scams.
In a report, members of the Treasury Committee warned that while there were many government agencies responsible for dealing with economic crime, it “seems not to be a priority for law enforcement.”
The report gave a number of recommendations, including making tech companies responsible for compensating victims of scams which took place on their platforms, and refunds in push-payment fraud, where victims are duped into sending money to criminals posing as well-known companies.
“For too long, pernicious scammers have acted with impunity, ripping off innocent consumers with fraudulent online adverts, impersonation scams and dodgy crypto investments,” committee chair, Mel Stride said.
“While the government have made some progress in this area, we’re today calling on them to push harder and act faster on the growing fraud epidemic.”
LARGE RISE IN CHILDRENS’ MENTAL HEALTH REFERRALS: BBC
Referrals of young people to mental health support services in England has dramatically increased, an analysis for the BBC has found.
409,347 under-18s were referred to specialist mental health services by NHS England between April and October 2021, a 77% rise over the same period in 2019.
The referrals include serious health conditions such as eating disorders and self-harm.
The analysis highlights the strain the coronavirus pandemic has had on many young people in England.
A survey of teachers and support staff conducted by children’s charity Place2Be found they had observed a significant increase in mental health issues in pupils.
META TO TACKLE BAD BEHAVIOUR IN THE METAVERSE
Meta has announced a new feature to help tackle harassment in its virtual reality platform, the Metaverse.
Users of the platform will be allowed to use the ‘Personal Boundary’ feature to block others from being in close proximity to them, to prevent unwanted attention.
The announcement comes as a number of women users of the platform reported harassment and invasion of personal space by “creepy men”.
Meta says the new feature is a “powerful example of how VR has the potential to help people interact comfortably.”
CAMPAIGNERS MARK SAFER INTERNET DAY 2022
Children’s charities and campaign groups will be marking 2022’s Safer Internet Day on Tuesday.
Safer Internet Day, which is now in its 19th year, is a global initiative to raise awareness about the dangers facing young people online.
This year’s theme is – ‘All fun and games? Exploring respect and relationships online’ and hopes to encourage open conversations about how to engage with users online in a way that is safe and respectful.
The campaign, which is run in 170 countries around the world, is run in the UK by three partner organisations: Childnet International, Internet Watch Foundation and SWGfL.
See Gooseberry Planet’s Alert for lessons and conversation points.
Gooseberry Guru offers up-to-date video advice and webinars on a range of online safety issues. Don’t forget to register for our parent workshop on social media on 8 Feb.
