Member

The depressing fact is that the internet is still full of material that would not get a certificate for sale or distribution in the offline world. Any platform that fails to comply with this proposed new law would be subject to financial sanction and/or business disruption measures. The Communications Act 2003 gives statutory powers to Ofcom to regulate offline content on the basis of the British Board of Film Classification guidelines. Over many years of operating this law, the BBFC has established clear standards and guidance: the guidelines are well established and easily understood. This amendment seeks to ensure that online platforms are subject to the same standards and guidelines for what they publish and host online. This would ensure that online platforms prevent material that depicts rape, incest or non-consensual sexual activity being published on their platform, and that any material published by a user of that platform that meets the criteria for prohibited material is removed.