Freedom of expression campaigners had said the original Online Safety Bill would mean social media platforms could censor content that was legal, but charities have said that was a good thing and the change was a 'backward step'.
Julie Bentley, chief executive of Samaritans, said removing the"legal but harmful" requirement was a"hugely backward step"."Of course, children should have the strongest protection but the damaging impact that this type of content has doesn't end on your 18th birthday," she said.
Tech firms will be required to publish summaries of risk assessments in regard to potential harm to children on their sites, show how they enforce user age limits and publish details of enforcement action taken against them by Ofcom, the sector's new regulator. "It is also freed from any threat that tech firms or future governments could use the laws as a licence to censor legitimate views.
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