(Bloomberg) — U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said online giants such as Meta Platforms Inc., the company formerly known as Facebook, and Google Inc. should be responsible for removing pornography and content that encourages terrorism from their websites.
He told a parliamentary committee that it’s time so-called Big Tech “realize that they cannot simply think of themselves as neutral pieces of infrastructure; they are publishers and responsible for what’s on their systems.”
“We want the strongest possible sanctions against people running online companies allowing a torrent of hateful stuff on their networks,” he told a panel of lawmakers on Wednesday in London.
U.K. Warns Facebook to Keep Users Safe or Risk Criminal Charges
The U.K. is currently examining a draft of its Online Safety BillOnline Safety Bill, which is set to be managed by regulator Ofcom and will be put forward for approval next month. Johnson refused to commit to a date for the draft legislation.
The bill will attempt to impose accountability for illegal or potentially harmful content such as material promoting terrorism or spreading disinformation about Covid-19. Companies could be fined as much as 10% of annual global revenue if they breach regulations.
Digital Secretary Nadine Dorries has indicated she is examining jail sentences of three to six months for criminal liability of executives.
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