The Center for Data Innovation’s Senior Policy Analyst Kir Nuthi recently addressed the UK government’s most recent changes to the Online Safety Bill.
“This week’s Online Safety Bill amendments have been a mixed bag. Our initial read of the changes still finds significant issues with how the bill approaches anonymity, user privacy and online safety,” a recent statement reads. “The changes to some of its worst provisions, like dropping the restrictions on 'legal but harmful' content for adults and the removal of criminal offenses for harmful communications, better protect free speech.”
The statement also highlights concerns about the Online Safety Bill’s ability to threaten internet users’ privacy, security and free expression upon suggesting online services to undermine end-to-end encryption.
Nuthi also worries about the bill’s focus on age assurance and verification, and its potential to damage users’ privacy and anonymity.
“The legislative proposal will remain broken until it can ensure UK users have a right to communicate using trusted, safe and private channels online,” Nuthi states. “Lawmakers should continue making revisions to address these concerns before considering whether to move forward with this legislation.”