Mansfield MP Ben Bradley met with the Secretary of State at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Michelle Donelan MP, to discuss the Online Safety Bill. In particular Ben raised concerns around the legal but harmful aspects of the bill.
This section of the bill would give social media companies the power to remove content that is not necessarily illegal but is deemed harmful. Ben raised concerns about the implications this part of the bill presents for free speech and the power this would give to social media companies to decide what constitutes harmful content.
During the meeting, Ben was assured by the Culture Secretary that she would look again at this section of the Online Safety Bill. Ben was assured of the importance of free speech to this government and the Culture Secretary agreed with Ben that people should feel free to express themselves online, provided they are not breaking the law.
Ben’s concerns have also been heard by Number 10 who have announced a review into the legal but harmful section of the Online Safety Bill.
Ben Bradley was quoted as saying:
‘The legal but harmful aspect of the Online Safety Bill is something that I have been concerned about for a long time, having raised it with the previous Culture Secretary numerous times in Parliament. I was really pleased to get the opportunity to reiterate my concerns to the new Culture Secretary and hear her respond to my concerns.’
‘During the meeting, the Culture Secretary promised to look again at this aspect of the Online Safety Bill. This builds on the previous announcement from the Prime Minister that she would look again at this aspect of the bill.’
‘I’d like to thank the Secretary of State for her time and I look forward to further developments with the Online Safety Bill’
