London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 30, 2025

Twitter says Online Safety Bill needs more clarity

Twitter says Online Safety Bill needs more clarity

Government plans for social media regulation need "far more clarity", a Twitter boss has told the BBC.

Katy Minshall said the draft Online Safety Bill failed to answer key questions such as how to define legal but harmful material.

Instead of simply targeting those who post offensive content, the bill would put more responsibility on platforms.

The culture secretary said the bill would make the UK "the safest place in the world to be online".

Writing in the Daily Mail, Nadine Dorries said "online hate has poisoned public life, it's intolerable, it's often unbearable and it has to end".

"Enough is enough. Social media companies have no excuses. And once this bill passes through Parliament, they will have no choice."

She also said the government had decided to "re-examine how our legislation can go even further to ensure the biggest social media companies properly protect users from anonymous abuse".

Meanwhile, a senior government source said "social media giants could be acting now to stamp out abuse but instead they're out making excuses".

What is in the draft Online Safety Bill?


* Ofcom would get powers to regulate social media sites

* It would be able to force companies to have a duty of care for their users, including protecting users from legal but harmful content, such as abuse that doesn't cross the criminality threshold

* Companies who breach Ofcom rules could face fines of up to £18m

* Social media sites would also be required to moderate content from different political viewpoints equally and without discrimination

* Provisions would be introduced to tackle online scams, such as romance fraud and fake investment opportunities.

Ruth Moss, whose daughter Sophie took her own life aged 13 in 2014, is calling for social media companies to take more action to address harmful material on their platforms.

After her daughter's death, she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme, she found numerous "deeply disturbing" images and instructions on self-harm and suicide on Sophie's phone and tablet.

Despite limiting her internet use at home, she said Sophie, who suffered from depression, was still able to use her phone on the bus or with friends and it was "impossible" for parents to know what their child was doing online all the time.

 Ruth Moss says her daughter Sophie viewed harmful content online before her death

Under the draft Online Safety Bill, the regulator Ofcom would have the power to levy fines of up to £18m or 10% of global profits, whichever is higher, on social media platforms which fail to comply with the new laws.

Ofcom would also be given the power to block services from the UK if they are deemed to present a risk of significant harm to UK citizens.

But Twitter is concerned the bill gives too much influence to the culture secretary over Ofcom.

The current draft bill would allow Ms Dorries to change the Ofcom code of practice that would be used to regulate the likes of Facebook and Twitter.

Speaking to Radio 4's Westminster Hour programme, Ms Minshall - the head of policy in the UK for Twitter - said the bill gave the minister "unusual powers", leaving Ofcom to "muddle through".

She also rejected the idea of stronger rules around online anonymity - something some MPs have campaigned for.

Conservative MP Mark Francois said people sending "horrendous abuse" online should not be allowed to "hide behind a cloak of anonymity with the connivance of the social media companies for profit".

But Ms Minshall argued that clamping down on anonymous accounts would "fail to deal with the problems of online abuse" and could damage people who rely on "pseudonymity".

"If you're a young person exploring their sexuality or you're a victim of domestic violence looking online for help and for support, pseudonymity is a really important safety tool for you."

She added that users already had to provide a date of birth, full name and email address when signing up, meaning that the police could access data about an account, even if someone had used a pseudonym.

Asked about the fines that could be levied on companies, she said such penalties were "almost existential".

In February of this year, Twitter boss Jack Dorsey said his company had experienced an "extraordinary year" in 2020, with revenues growing by 28% to $1.29bn (£930m) compared to the last quarter of 2019.

Ms Minshall said the bill had thrown up "all sorts of really important questions", such as "how do we define legal but harmful content" and "what sorts of exemptions should we make for journalistic content or content of democratic importance".

"These are questions that Parliament needs to answer," she added.

MPs and peers are currently scrutinising the draft bill and next Thursday they will hear evidence from representatives of Facebook, Twitter, Google, YouTube and TikTok.

Writing in the Mirror, Labour's shadow culture secretary Jo Stevens described the government's bill as "weak and ineffective", adding "it won't do the job we need it to do".

She said the government should introduce criminal sanctions against the bosses of big technology companies who repeatedly break the new laws.

She also raised concern that small companies would be subject to less stringent rules.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×