‘Wild West’ social media bosses must face jail for harmful content, says rebel Tory MP

Dame Andrea Leadsom is leading a group of more than 40 rebel Tory MPs demanding stricter penalties for tech giants if they fail to protect children
Dame Andrea Leadsom
PA Media
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The controversial Online Safety is “simply not strong enough” and must include provisions that would see social media bosses face prison for allowing harmful content to be shared on their platforms, a former cabinet minister said on Friday.

Dame Andrea Leadsom is leading a group of more than 40 rebel Tory MPs who are demanding stricter penalties for “wild west” tech giants if they fail to protect children from certain subjects online.

They want senior managers at tech firms to face two years in jail if they breach new duties over acceptable content, which includes posts promoting self-harm, depicting sexual violence or facilitating suicide.

Labour is expected to support the amendment.

Currently the proposed laws would only make bosses criminally liable for failing to give information to media regulator Ofcom and firms would face higher fines.

Culture secretary Michelle Donelan has said she is “not ruling out” changes to legislation in the face of the major backbench rebellion.

Dame Andrea said in its current form the bill is just asking companies “nicely” to protect children online.

She told BBC Radio 4: “There should be this backstop that if you, as a senior tech director, or manager, knowingly allow harm to be caused that results in suicide, pornography, child abuse online and so on.

“If you let that happen, there should be a backstop that you can be criminally prosecuted.”

Dame Andrea added that in many other businesses, including in the financial and construction sectors, directors will face prosecution if their practices cause significant harm to someone.

She said: “Yet here we have in this wild west of online, the most incredible harm every single day of the week being committed to young children and yet we stand by and we just ask nicely, and then we punish you if you refuse to cooperate. It’s simply not strong enough.”

The was introduced in March when Boris Johnson was Prime Minister and has seen several changes already.

It is due to return to the Commons next week.

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