Big Brother Watch responds to publication of the Online Safety Bill

Big Brother Watch Team / March 17, 2022

Commenting on the publication of the Government’s Online Safety Bill, Mark Johnson, Legal and Policy Officer at Big Brother Watch said:

“The Online Safety Bill is a disaster for our rights and threatens both free speech and the right to privacy.

“The Bill grants the Government vast powers to force the censorship of lawful expression, encourages IDs for the internet and criminalises speech which is deemed to be “distressing”. It continues to live up to its name as the censor’s charter.

“The Government should focus on protecting people from crime online and ensuring that predators, stalkers, and racist abusers are not just suspended by social media companies but actually face the full force of the law. Instead, we have legislation that rips up the rule book when it comes to freedom of speech and actually entrenches the power of Silicon Valley.”

ENDS

Notes:

You can find a copy of the Bill here.

You can read more about Big Brother Watch’s work on free speech online here.

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