Britain's new internet safety law takes aim at tech titans, but is it a savior or a threat to online freedom?

Picture this: British lawmakers, riding high with power and a desire to stir the pot, have given the nod to a groundbreaking internet safety law. With a mission to reign in digital giants such as TikTok, Google, Facebook, and the behemoth Meta (formerly the behemoth known as Facebook and owner of seemingly everything), this law is set to shake up the digital realm. If it’s enforceable.

Safety vs. Freedom of Speech?

The UK government swears by the online safety bill, claiming it will crown Britain as a safe haven in cyberspace. However, critics argue it's a wolf in sheep's clothing, threatening the sanctity of online privacy and the cherished freedom of speech. A well-dressed wolf or a Trojan horse heralding further measures, we’re not sure. But it’s certainly … interesting.

All this, of course, is happening just as the European Union, with its Digital Services Act, simultaneously tightens the noose on social media, sparking a continent-wide digital duel.

OK. So, what’s all the fuss about? In principal, it’s hard to argue against a safer online environment for children and others at risk. The law tasks social media platforms with eradicating illegal content, from child exploitation and hate speech to terrorism, revenge porn and more. These platforms must also prevent such content from ever surfacing, all while empowering users to slam the door on anonymous trolls.

The government is positioning itself as a zero tolerance protector of children and it’s going to hold platforms legally accountable for what children can see online. From preventing kids' access to potentially harmful but not explicitly illegal content to keeping explicit material away from underage users, the law aims to make the web a safer place for the young and impressionable.

Any internet company, regardless of where it is based, must comply if a UK user can access its services. Non-compliance comes with a hefty price tag – fines scaling up to £18 million or 10% of global annual sales, whichever stings more.

The UK communications regulator, Ofcom, will oversee the law's enforcement. It'll initially focus on weeding out illegal content as the government adopts a phased approach to its implementation.

Questions, Questions, Questions

However, how all this will be enforced remains uncertain. Critical details remain elusive, leaving digital rights advocates worried about the implications. The law may inadvertently infringe upon online freedoms. Privacy-invading age verifications or content sanitization could be on the horizon if platforms have to ensure child-friendly content, sanitation which is bound to affect us all.

The Electronic Freedom Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to defending civil liberties in the digital world, highlighted the incompatibility of the law with encryption, a vital layer of protection presented as fairly standard by a large number of online companies, saying, “Clause 110 of the bill requires websites and apps to proactively prevent harmful content from appearing on messaging services. This will mandate the screening of all user content, all the time. It’s not compatible with encryption, or our right to privacy.”

It’s not just NGOs that are highlighting issues, or facing problems, Meta said last month that it plans to start adding end-to-end encryption to all Messenger chats by default by the end of year. But the U.K. government called on the company not to do so without measures to protect children from sex abuse and exploitation. The lines between protection, privacy and freedom are becoming increasingly blurred.