UK'S NEW ONLINE SAFETY LAW ADDS TO CRACKDOWN ON BIG TECH COMPANIES

British lawmakers have approved an ambitious but controversial new internet safety law with wide-ranging powers to crack down on digital and social media companies like TikTok, Google, and Facebook and Instagram parent Meta.

The government says the online safety bill passed this week will make Britain the safest place in the world to be online. But digital rights groups say it threatens online privacy and freedom of speech.

The new law is the U.K.’s contribution to efforts in Europe and elsewhere to clamp down on the freewheeling tech industry dominated by U.S. companies. The European Union has its Digital Services Act, which took effect last month with similar provisions aimed at cleaning up social media for users in the 27-nation bloc.

Here’s a closer look at Britain’s law:

WHAT IS THE ONLINE SAFETY LAW?

The sprawling piece of legislation has been in the works since 2021.

The new law requires social media platforms to take down illegal content, including child sexual abuse, hate speech and terrorism, revenge porn and posts promoting self-harm. They also will have to stop such content from appearing in the first place and give users more controls, including blocking anonymous trolls.

The government says the law takes a “zero tolerance” approach to protecting kids by making platforms legally responsible for their online safety. Platforms will be required to stop children from accessing content that, while not illegal, could be harmful or not age-appropriate, including porn, bullying or, for example, glorifying eating disorders or providing instructions for suicide.

Social media platforms will be legally required to verify that users are old enough, typically 13, and porn websites will have to make sure users are 18.

The bill criminalizes some online activity, such as cyberflashing, which is sending someone unwanted explicit images.

WHAT IF BIG TECH DOESN’T COMPLY?