Ofcom will have new powers to force tech giants to hand over information
Tech giants could be forced to grant access to the data on the phones of deceased children under last-minute changes to the Online Safety Bill.
The government has agreed to give coroners and bereaved families new powers to demand information relevant to the circumstances of a death is handed over.
Under the new measure, the regulator would request the data from platforms on behalf of parents and coroners.
The pledge came during a House of Lords debate on the Online Safety Bill on the last day of it going through the committee stage.
The amendments to the legislation will make accessing data “more straightforward and humane”, according to culture minister Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay.
Ian Russell, whose 14-year-old daughter Molly took her own life after seeing harmful content online, said the move was “really important”.
Baroness Baroness Beeban Kidron, who proposed the change, told Sky News the government had now vowed to ensure the amendment goes ahead.
She said: “It’s had tremendous support in both Houses… across all parties.
“It’s quite complex because it also involves the Ministry of Justice, the Chief Coroner and DCMS [Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport], but today we are very optimistic that the final bill will include important and maybe shape-shifting agreements.
“There’ll be some further action to ensure the whole ecosystem surrounding bereaved parents is humane, effective and swift.”
