‘Making the digital streets safe’: Calls for greater protection for women online

British peers propose amendment to online safety bill requiring social media sites to consider how to keep female users safe

Social media platforms would be required to follow regulatory guidelines protecting women and girls from online abuse under an amendment to the online safety bill tabled this week.

The proposed change would require Ofcom, the communications watchdog, to issue a code of practice on preventing violence against women and girls that social media platforms would have to follow when implementing their duties under the bill.

The amendment has been put forward in the House of Lords by peers including Nicky Morgan, the former culture secretary, and Beeban Kidron, the children’s online safety campaigner, and is supported by the Labour party.

“The intention is to get the platforms to think about how to keep female users safe,” Morgan said. “They are not thinking about the safety of female users at the moment.”

An example code of practice supported by groups including Carnegie UK, Refuge and the NSPCC, requires social media platforms to conduct a risk assessment of how the design of their services might lead to harm against women and girls.

A co-author of the document, Prof Lorna Woods at the University of Essex, said the amendment was “about making the digital street safe to walk down at night”.

The newly created Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) said the bill already had measures in place to deal with online violence against women and girls. The legislation will require tech firms to proactively tackle illegal content and behaviour such as cyberstalking and revenge pornography.

It also contains provisions for large social media platforms related to content that is harmful but not criminal, requiring the biggest platforms to give users the option of opting out from misogynistic content.

If a platform’s terms of service ban misogynistic abuse then it will be expected to enforce those conditions or face action from Ofcom. Breaches of the act will carry the threat of a fine of 10% of global turnover.

A DSIT spokesperson said: “We are committed to tackling online abuse and violence against women and girls. In the online safety bill, we have made it a priority for platforms to proactively tackle the most harmful illegal content which disproportionately targets women and girls.

“Women will also benefit from new tools that give them greater control over what they see on social media, including content that is abusive or incites hatred on the basis of sex.”

Contributor

Dan Milmo Global technology editor

The GuardianTramp

Related Content

Article image
Online safety bill needs tougher rules on misogyny, say peers
Nicky Morgan and other Tory peers plan amendment to boost Ofcom’s powers to penalise social media firms

Tobi Thomas

04, Feb, 2023 @1:29 PM

Article image
Age checks, trolls and deepfakes: what’s in the online safety bill?
The legislation will place duties of care on tech companies to protect users from harmful content

Dan Milmo Global technology editor

17, Jan, 2023 @1:14 PM

Article image
TechScape: How the UK’s online safety bill aims to clean up the internet
It’s complicated, contentious and sweeping. As the landmark legislation becomes law, here’s a guide to its key rules on everything from pornographic content to protecting children

Dan Milmo

24, Oct, 2023 @10:45 AM

Article image
Government criticised over renewed delay to online safety bill
Internet safety groups say withdrawal of proposed legislation from next week’s Commons schedule leaves children at continued risk

Alex Hern UK technology editor

27, Oct, 2022 @5:25 PM

Article image
Nadine Dorries commits to online safety reforms in memory of David Amess
Culture secretary says online hate has ‘poisoned public life’ and pledges fines for platforms that amplify hateful content

Miranda Bryant

23, Oct, 2021 @11:26 AM

Article image
Love Island star Amy Hart says she had online death threat from 13-year-old
Former contestant gives evidence to MPs about abuse and says social media firms are not doing enough to tackle trolling

Mark Brown Arts correspondent

14, Sep, 2021 @1:53 PM

Article image
Social network giants pledge to tackle abuse of women online
Facebook, Google, Twitter and TikTok commit to overhaul their platform’s moderation systems

Alex Hern UK technology editor

01, Jul, 2021 @5:00 AM

Article image
Violent online content ‘unavoidable’ for UK children, Ofcom finds
Every child interviewed by media watchdog had watched violent material on the internet

Alex Hern UK technology editor

15, Mar, 2024 @12:01 AM

Article image
Campaigners welcome Kate Winslet plea about online safety and children
Actor urged ‘people in power’ to criminalise harmful digital content when she accepted Bafta award

Dan Milmo

15, May, 2023 @5:45 PM

Article image
Young LGBTQ+ people more than twice as likely to experience hate speech online
Digital Youth Index study finds minority groups also more likely to feel being online has had negative impact

Alex Hern

17, Oct, 2022 @5:00 AM