Deloitte Internet Regulation Updater

As of Monday 25 October 2022, the United Kingdom has a new Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak. Where does that leave the UK’s much anticipated Online Safety Bill?

The Online Safety Bill aims to create a new set of rules regulating the internet, putting obligations on internet companies providing user generated content and on search engines to protect individuals from online illegal or harmful content. Platforms that fail to comply could face fines of up to 10% of their revenues.

On 20 October 2022 the Online Safety Bill was firmly on the parliamentary agenda. The Culture Secretary, Michelle Donelan MP, updated Parliament stating that the Bill remained a top priority and would be brought back to Parliament imminently. Protecting children against harmful content online was a particularly strong theme.

Following the appointment of the new Prime Minister and a cabinet reshuffle, Michelle Donelan MP retained her position as Culture Secretary. That might indicate continued prioritisation for the Bill. However, recent reports are that the Bill was pulled from the third reading, scheduled for 1 November 2022.

It is therefore unclear when the Bill will proceed through Parliament. In the meantime, the European Union’s new law on online safety, the Digital Services Act, was officially published on 27 October 2022 and will enter into force on 16 November 2022. 

We will be watching with interest and will provide an update as soon as more is known.

Content from Deloitte's Internet Regulation blog can now be sent direct to your inbox. Choose the topic and frequency by subscribing here and selecting Internet Regulation.