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Spotlight
Thought leadership and policy
Internet Safety: Building
a better online world
Damian Collins MP
Margaret Hodge MP
Chris Philp MP
01 COVER_Internet Safety - subbed-tr.indd 2 04/03/2022 14:34:08
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Internet Safety | Spotlight
Untitled-1 2 03/03/2022 10:01:08
Contents
It is unlikely that such a large penalty
Moderators would ever be issued – handing a foreign
4 / News
The latest news about
company a penalty of this size would be
must not be tantamount to economic warfare. But
online safety
Nadine Dorries, the Culture Secretary,
treated like has also warned that social media
executives could face jail time if they fail
6 / Chris Philp
The UK could lead on a
machines to comply with the new regime.
This might also seem unlikely, but
global gold standard for
the internet, says the
together the twin threats reflect a level minister for tech
of aggression that social media firms
rarely face in other jurisdictions. They
I
8 / Damian Collins
n June 2017, the German Bundestag are likely therefore to take dramatic
The cross-party
passed what came to be known as the steps to ensure that they do not fall foul
parliamentary committee
Facebook Act. It was a landmark of the new legislation. One possible
chair on how we can hold
moment: the law represented the first response is that, like in Germany before,
Big Tech to account
attempt by a democratic nation to the tech firms will hire legions of
legislate against the spread of hate moderators to handle the threat.
speech and fake news online. Such a move would be welcome. 14 / Curing the conspiracy
The legislation introduced major Although automation can play a major theory curse
financial penalties for rule-breakers. role in content moderation, human Psychology could hold the
Under the terms of the act, social media oversight remains essential. Moderators, key to helping those
companies that fail to swiftly remove however, are too often treated like the radicalised online
prohibited content face fines of up to machines they oversee. In 2020, Facebook
€50m. The law sparked a hiring spree paid out £40m after moderators
18 / Tackling the toxic
for content moderators; one in six of suffered mental health issues linked to
culture of cyberbullying
Facebook’s moderators now works their work, which requires regular
Schools have a crucial role
in Germany. reviews of graphic imagery.
to play in protecting
The UK’s forthcoming Online Safety There are legitimate concerns that
children’s digital lives
Bill promises even steeper penalties. the Online Safety Bill could lead to
Companies such as Facebook and over-zealous moderation. Providing
Google could be fined up to 10 per cent moderators with the support they need 22 / Margaret Hodge
of their annual global turnover under to handle the stresses of their work isn’t Online anonymity is a
the new legislation. For Google this just the right thing to do – it will also privilege, not a right, says
could theoretically amount to a fine enable them to make better decisions the MP
of £19.3bn. under pressure. O
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First published as a supplement to the
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Internet Safety | Spotlight 3
03 CONTENTS_Internet Safety- subbed - tr.indd 3 04/03/2022 14:39:31
News
Cyber-flashing to be
made illegal under
Sexual Offences Act
P
eople who send unsolicited genital
photos are to face time in prison
under new legislation to be added
to the Sexual Offences Act. The
practice, known as cyber-flashing,
involves the sending of obscene images
over peer-to-peer electronic networks
such as AirDrop, often to strangers on
public transport or in public spaces.
Previously, ministers had been
considering outlawing cyber-flashing
under the Online Safety Bill, following
the recommendations of MPs, including
parliament’s joint committee on the
legislation, chaired by Damian Collins
(see pages 8-10).
The Times reports that the decision
to clamp down on the practice under the
Sexual Offences Act, a smaller piece of
legislation, is borne of fears that the
Online Safety Bill will otherwise struggle
to be passed this year. Last year,
appearing before the House of
Online abusers face
Commons liaison committee – a group
made up of the chairs of all the
Commons’ select committees – the
five years in jail under
Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, said he
was in favour of a specific ban on
new proposals
cyber-flashing as part of a package of
measures to combat violence against
T
women and girls. he draft Online Safety Bill, Under the legislation, online abusers
Once the bill is passed, the offence currently making its way through and trolls could be jailed for up to five
will be treated on a par with similar parliament, will be amended years. People deliberately spreading
crimes such as upskirting, which was following recommendations from the disinformation, such as hoax bomb
banned in 2019 and can carry a sentence Law Commission – an independent threats or fake Covid-19 treatments,
of up to two years in prison. Those body which reviews the law – and MPs. could face up to 51 weeks in prison.
found guilty can also be added to the The Law Commission found that The draft legislation follows on
sex offenders register. legislation had not kept pace with rapid from 2019’s Online Harms White Paper,
Young people are known to be advances in communications technology, which was produced by the
particularly vulnerable to sexual social media and smartphones, so government to consider “online
harassment on the internet, and last recommended that new offences be content or activity that harms
GETTY IMAGES/MARTIN POPE
year a survey by YouGov found that 14 created and legislated for in the bill – individual users, particularly children,
per cent of British women had received including an offence “designed to better or threatens our way of life in the UK,
indecent, suggestive or unsolicited capture online threats to rape, kill and either by undermining national
messages either online or in person. An inflict physical violence” – and provide security, or by reducing trust and
even higher proportion of 18 to 24-year- specific protections for celebrities and undermining our shared rights,
olds reported that they had been victims public figures who receive messages responsibilities and opportunities to
of the practice. O threatening their safety. foster integration”. O
4 Internet Safety | Spotlight
04-05 News - subbed-tr.indd 4 04/03/2022 14:44:45
Internet celebrity Meta to enforce
scams costing victims compulsory distancing
millions of pounds between avatars
374%
I M
n the UK, 300,000 people a year are eta, the multinational tech
falling victim to online subscription company that owns Facebook,
scams for products advertised using Increase in the amount of content has said it will enforce
fake celebrity endorsements, the BBC uploaded by children online between compulsory distancing between avatars.
has reported. 2019 and 2021 The decision was made after a user on
Scammers are using Facebook, Horizon Worlds, a virtual reality (VR)
Google and other major websites and app owned by the company, reported
platforms to market a range of instances of sexual harassment and
questionable products, including groping online, and called for a
subscriptions to the alternative pain
relief remedy, cannabidiol, or CBD, in
3bn mandatory exclusion zone around
their avatar.
“gummy” form. Web users are enticed by The 4ft boundary will prevent
special offers set out as cheap one-off anyone “invading” an avatar’s personal
payments, which are then continuously space, says the company.
taken out of victims’ bank accounts. Number of adverts removed by The move comes just months after
On average, people who fall prey to Google for breaking its terms Facebook announced it was adapting its
these online fraudsters are losing £250 business model to focus more on virtual
each, meaning the scams are thought to and augmented reality worlds it calls the
generate around £75m from 300,000 “metaverse”. Although the plans are in
annual UK victims. their early stages, chief executive Mark
Last year, the consumer watchdog Zuckerberg has invested heavily in apps,
Which? accused Facebook and Google
of failing to take down scams on their 4ft technologies and platforms that
facilitate face-to-face meetings and
sites. Researchers reported that Google socialising in online worlds using VR
was hosting 34 per cent of scam adverts headsets. Demand for the headsets has
even after they had been reported, and boomed over the pandemic, a result of
Facebook 26 per cent. Google said it The compulsory personal boundary successive lockdowns and enforced
had taken down over three billion. O between avatars in the metaverse social distancing.
Critics of Meta’s proposals note
that VR will add further opportunities
for problematic behaviours online.
Children are now at a greater Instances of abuse have also been
risk of online grooming, reported on VRChat, another
metaverse product, and have been
charity claims condemned by child protection
charity the NSPCC. O
T
he children’s charity Barnardo’s The Internet Watch Foundation last
Cymru has warned that children year found that the amount of content
have become more trusting online uploaded by children had increased by
GETTY IMAGES/JUSTIN SULLIVAN
as a result of lockdowns and 374 per cent since 2019.
acclimatising to internet-based The charity, which aims to minimise
socialising and learning. A spokesperson the availability of online sexual abuse
from the charity claimed children were content, said lockdowns had seen a
now more accessible online and that massive increase in “self-generated
many online spaces had normalised material” and reported a 235 per cent
harassment, with perpetrators hiding increase in URLs with self-generated
behind anonymous accounts. sexual imagery of children. O
Internet Safety | Spotlight 5
04-05 News - subbed-tr.indd 5 04/03/2022 14:44:57
S
ocial media websites and search
The view from government engines have come to be dominant
forces in how we communicate. But
the tech companies running these
services currently operate without any
rules to follow beyond their own. In
developing our new online safety laws,
which will soon begin their passage
through parliament, we’ve heard from
countless young victims of a digital
world that often prioritises profit over
people’s safety. Tech companies have
had ample chances to regulate
themselves and have failed to do so. It is
The public deserves time to use the force of the law to make
them behave responsibly.
The substantially updated Online
protection from social Safety Bill we will shortly present to
parliament is carefully designed and
flexible, so it can deal with the rapid
media giants’ greed pace of technological change. It
balances the need for a free and open
internet with protections for children
No one law will fix and vulnerable people.
The UK’s tech industries are blazing a
trail in investment and innovation and
all of the internet’s so we have also designed a pro-
competition and proportionate system
to make sure we embolden the finest
problems, but we technological minds from around the
world to build successful tech
businesses in the UK. We will be placing
must set the global
duties on online platforms that host
user-generated content, and the most
powerful companies will be subject to
the strictest rules to protect young
gold standard people, prevent illegality and make sure
harmful content – such as that
promoting suicide – is properly handled.
The way to enforce laws is to arm
regulators – in this case Ofcom – with
tough new powers. It will have
unprecedented sanctions at its disposal,
including the ability to hand out
multi-billion-pound fines if Big Tech
fails to act, and the power to hold senior
managers personally liable for some
breaches. Ofcom will also be able to lift
the bonnet and inspect the engines of
these companies, including how their
algorithms work – something that they
have so far kept hidden.
We are not requiring anything
unreasonable in getting major social
media platforms to remove and limit the
spread of content or activity that is
against our laws. They must tackle child
sexual abuse, hate crime and terrorist
material, and do far more to protect
By Chris Philp MP children from being exposed to
inappropriate material. All sites that
6 Internet Safety | Spotlight
6-7 Chris Philp_laid out_RC - subbed-tr.indd 6 04/03/2022 14:46:28
Therefore, the bill does not force
online platforms to remove legal free
speech. Freedom of expression means
nothing if not also the right to offend,
and under our new laws adults will be
free to read and post things online
others may disapprove of. But the
overall effect of these measures will be
to close the gap between what these
companies say is allowed on their sites
and what happens in practice.
N
o single piece of legislation is
going to fix all the problems the
evolution of the internet has
thrown up. But we want to make digital
companies fix their systems and be
more transparent, without stifling the
hotbed of innovation and investment
that is the UK’s tech industry. The
Online Safety Bill has been designed
with suitable and transparent checks
and balances so that Ofcom’s
implementation of it delivers on the
objectives decided and is scrutinised by
Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg testifies to the US Senate about fake news our democratically elected parliament.
Of course, the government doesn’t
host or display pornography will have to allowed to stay up or, worse, is actively have a monopoly on wisdom, which is
put effective measures in place to prevent promoted to reach huge audiences. The why we gave the draft bill to a cross-party
children from accessing it – for example, firms should not be allowed to host or group of parliamentarians for scrutiny. In
by using age verification technology. amplify such harmful content – which December, this joint committee
Importantly, the bill does not censor they say they don’t allow – without there submitted its report, which included
free speech; in fact, it will consolidate being consequences. recommendations on how the bill could
public discourse online, which is Thanks to our work, companies will go further. This scrutiny is a vital part of
currently subject to the whims of have to proactively assess the risks to ensuring it delivers what is needed.
powerful private companies that can their users from legal but harmful I am confident the bill strikes a
remove content arbitrarily and wield content. They will need to set out clearly careful balance to achieve a global
significant influence over what people in their terms and conditions which gold standard for internet safety. But
are looking at. forms of legal but harmful content is we are considering the committee’s
Robust new legal duties in the bill will acceptable for adults to see on their recommendations, those of the
mean in-scope companies have to take sites, as well as the systems and Commons select committee and the
steps to protect people’s free speech, processes they have in place to mitigate thoughts of other leading
and the regulation will not require it if they decide to prohibit it. If content parliamentarians as we substantially
companies to remove specific pieces of breaks their terms and conditions, they update the bill prior to introduction.
legal content. Ofcom will have duties to will have to take it down. Ofcom will We’ve already toughened it with new
safeguard freedom of expression while judge whether their decisions on taking criminal offences and extra measures to
carrying out its work. down content are adequate or not. force social media companies to stamp
We believe people should be able to Users will be able to appeal if they feel out the most harmful illegal content and
speak as freely on the internet as on their content has been removed without criminal activity on their sites quicker,
Hyde Park Corner. But there is a growing good reason. including revenge porn, hate crime, fraud
list of toxic content and behaviour on and the sale of illegal drugs or weapons.
social media that falls below the The public rightly demands and
threshold of a criminal offence but deserves protection from the harms
which still causes significant harm.
There is a created by the unfettered avarice of
GETTY IMAGES / ZACH GIBSON
This includes racist abuse and the some large social media firms. The
promotion of self-harm and dangerous
disinformation designed to deter people growing list of government, working with MPs
across parliament and other parties,
from taking the Covid vaccine. These
things are already expressly forbidden toxic content on will deliver. O
on the biggest and most popular social Chris Philp is the minister for tech and the
networks. But time and again it is social media digital economy
Internet Safety | Spotlight 7
6-7 Chris Philp_laid out_RC - subbed-tr.indd 7 04/03/2022 14:46:39
T
he last time I wrote for Spotlight
The view from parliament on Big Tech and internet safety,
the joint committee on the draft
Online Safety Bill’s inquiry was in full
swing. Over the course of five months,
the committee received more than 200
written evidence submissions, and took
more than 50 hours of oral testimony
from companies, ministers, whistle-
blowers, campaigners, lawyers and
professors, on how exactly the UK
could successfully become “the safest
place in the world to be online”, as the
bill is promising.
It's time to hold We published our 60,000-word
report on 14 December 2021, and I’m
proud to say that all of our
Big Tech to account recommendations were unanimous: a
clear example of how much not only
both the Lords and the Commons, but
We can crack down on also all political parties, are willing to
work together to finally hold social
media companies to account.
intolerable behaviour We had a simple yet daunting task:
scrutinise the draft Online Safety Bill as
published by the government last
while still protecting summer, and make sure it was fit for
purpose. For me, like many others, it
has sometimes felt like this bill has been
free speech a long time coming; the Digital, Culture,
Media and Sport (DCMS) committee
inquiry into disinformation and “fake
news” in 2018 kick-started the process,
recommending that platforms should
be held accountable to a UK-based
regulator. But it’s also vital that we get
the legal framework right, as the UK is
going to be the first country in the
world to legislate so comprehensively
to tame the digital wild west.
Throughout the inquiry we heard
concerns from all sides: that the bill was
difficult to interpret for businesses and
users alike; that it would give too much
power to the government, or social
media platforms themselves, to police
free speech; and that it was unclear
how it would tackle some of the most
egregious harms seen in recent years,
such as the disgusting racial abuse after
the Euros final, terrorists and human
traffickers using social media to build
networks, the incitement to violence at
the US Capitol, or even the promotion
of self-harm among teenagers.
At the heart of our
recommendations are two core
principles: that online platforms and
search engines should be held
By Damian Collins MP accountable for the design of their
systems and the way they promote
8 Internet Safety | Spotlight
08-10 Damian Collins_laid out_RC - subbed-tr.indd 8 04/03/2022 14:50:45
GETTY IMAGES/HOLLIE ADAMS
The pandemic has seen a huge rise in disinformation and fake news spread online, causing dramatic real-world consequences
Internet Safety | Spotlight 9
08-10 Damian Collins_laid out_RC - subbed-tr.indd 9 04/03/2022 14:50:55
content; and that regulation should be governed
by democratic principles established by
parliament, not just by terms of service written in
Silicon Valley.
W
e think the best way to do this is to give
the independent regulator Ofcom the
power to set mandatory codes of
practice, based on existing British laws, on how
social media companies should make sure their
systems and processes don’t promote content and
activity that would never be acceptable offline.
These would provide clear guidance to social
media platforms on how to deal with content and
activity that promotes and glamourises terrorism,
facilitates child abuse, fuels online fraud, or
amplifies discrimination based on protected
characteristics in equalities legislation. Other
codes of practice would make sure platforms
promote digital literacy, freedom of expression
and, above all, safety by design – ensuring devices
and software are developed and designed with
user safety in mind.
Nobody will benefit from a one-size-fits-all
approach. This is why the committee agreed that
Ofcom should also conduct a general assessment
of all platform features that we heard were risk “The UK will be the first country to legislate so comprehensively to tame
factors: live location, infinite scrolling, one-click the digital Wild West – we have to get the balance right"
sharing, artificial intelligence (AI) moderation,
end-to-end encryption, unmoderated groups, and glamourising self-harm are all new, but extremely
anonymity, to name a few. damaging, phenomena.
Based on these, Ofcom will come up with We recommended that the Online Safety Bill be
different risk profiles, and match individual amended to directly include these as new crimes,
platforms to them. Social media companies will again with platforms responsible for making sure
have to manage the specific risks that have been they don’t amplify them. In an update on 4
identified on their platforms and search engines, February 2022, the government committed to
following minimum standards set by the regulator. adopting some of these recommendations, and to
This will guarantee that those businesses that have seriously consider others. It has also announced
few risk factors don’t have to shoulder the same that it will state clearly on the face of the bill all
burden as those with much higher risk factors. existing offences that platforms will have to
Platforms will have to show how they are mitigate – another win for the joint committee.
following the codes of practice and managing their
O
own specific risks in regular transparency reports ther measures we recommend include
to Ofcom. If the regulator has doubts, it should be mandatory age assurance on all websites
able to audit the companies, calling on external likely to be visited by children, automatic
experts if needed. Also, if some companies resist or exemption of recognised news publishers and of
refuse to engage, not only will financial sanctions content that’s in the public interest, as well as the
of up to 10 per cent of global turnover come into establishment of a permanent joint committee to
play but there could also be prosecutions. We ensure democratic oversight of the new regime.
endorsed the government’s proposal to bring Together, as a package, we think they would
DAMIAN COLLINS MP / © UK PARLIAMENT 2022
forward criminal sanctions, and we think they significantly improve the bill, and ensure it finds
should be directed towards a named “safety that fine balance between protecting freedom of
controller” within a tech company, responsible for Online speech and clamping down on behaviours that
compliance with the Online Safety Act. parliament has decided are intolerable in a free,
The committee also agreed with the Law platforms democratic society. I hope the government will
Commission that new offences need to be created. and search listen and adopt changes that we think will make
While many of the harms we want to act against engines the bill a shining example of smart regulation in
can be resolved by applying existing laws online, the digital age. O
practices have also evolved; exposing someone to
should
sexual images without their consent, sending be held Damian Collins MP is the chairman of the joint
people with epilepsy flashing images, and accountable committee on the draft Online Safety Bill
10 Internet Safety | Spotlight
08-10 Damian Collins_laid out_RC - subbed-tr.indd 10 04/03/2022 14:50:56I
n response to the Peterloo Massacre censor UK publishers. The Department
Advertorial of 1819 and in an era of “Taxes on for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Knowledge”, the Lord Liverpool committee’s recommendation of a “must
government introduced the Newspaper balance” test will allow the regulator
and Stamp Duties Act, one of six acts Ofcom to assess whether platforms have
designed to curb political radicalism considered their freedom of expression
and meetings and prevent another obligations for all content.
such incident. Welcome though the bill is, it will
Protecting Two centuries later and government
remains worried about the degradation
only remedy a symptom, not the root
causes, of large digital platforms’
publishers and of society through an unchecked flow of
information. This time, the concern is
market power. Their dominance
precludes any incentive to prioritise the
promoting vast digital platforms that shape what
the UK public see, say and interact with
interests of users. Instead, platforms
design algorithms to maximise
competition online. Yet a sustainable, free and
plural media is now recognised as
engagement and revenues, and are
agnostic about the quality of content
Trusted fundamental to our society.
The Online Safety Bill aims to make
that retains consumers’ attention.
A truly safe online space will only be
digital platforms legally responsible possible if citizens have a genuine
content and for preventing harm to users, but choice between competing platforms,
curbing harmful content alone will be compelling tech giants to prioritise the
digital markets insufficient. Trusted, reliable
information sources must be readily
well-being of users. It is imperative that
the government gives the Digital
regulation are available online for citizens’ well-being
to be assured. Recognising this
Markets Unit (DMU) statutory powers as
soon as possible, allowing the regulator
fundamental to necessity, the draft bill contains
protections for content created by
to effectively target the sources of
entrenched market power.
online safety “recognised news publishers”.
The joint committee scrutinising the
Regulation is necessary to rebalance
the digital advertising market,
draft bill recommended that the monopolised for so long by Alphabet
government create a definition for (the owners of Google) and Meta (which
“recognised news publishers” that owns Facebook). Google is dominant at
encompasses specialist publications. every stage of the intermediation
Business titles, such as Bauer Media’s Rail process, giving rise to conflicts of
Magazine, are industry thought leaders interest and potential anti-competitive
that closely scrutinise their sector and behaviour. For online publishing, this
are even influential in Westminster and dominance represents a 21st-century
across Whitehall. Equally, Condé Nast’s “tax on knowledge”, raising costs for
Vogue combines fashion journalism with citizens and curtailing investment in
expert reporting and commentary on trustworthy content.
critical social debates. Regrettably, the legislation to give the
The dissemination of information DMU its powers has yet to materialise.
online and the public’s ability to seek out Europe is forging ahead but lacks the
information sources means the future of tailored codes of conduct necessary to
media lies in specialist audiences. Its target the disparate business models of
sustainability will be assured by serving the tech giants. “Global Britain” should
communities of interest and satisfying seek to lead in digital regulation, yet there
the need for trusted content. A failure to is an increasing danger that the UK will
exempt specialist publishers from the become a rule-taker, not a rule-maker.
scope of the bill will therefore make the The government must make digital
exemptions progressively less effective in competition legislation a priority. A
protecting trusted publishers over time. failure to do so will not only limit the
By Sebastian Cuttill Publications subject to a standards efficacy of the online safety regime,
code must be protected by the bill, but also endanger the sustainability of
In association with preserving the system of independent UK media. Inevitably, a lack of funding
self-regulation of the press and ensuring for reliable information sources will
that reliable information covering a leave a vacuum in which harmful content
range of topics will not be suppressed. A will thrive. O
free press is fundamental to freedom of
expression, and Silicon Valley tech Sebastian Cuttill is public affairs executive
giants should not have any agency to at the Professional Publishers Association
Internet Safety | Spotlight 11
11 PPA_ADV_laid out_RC - subbed - tr.indd 1 04/03/2022 14:51:59Advertorial
nefarious actors to easily circulate the
internet’s most horrendous material,
including images of the sexual abuse of
children. Companies that implement
such technology will be making it far
harder to detect and remove such
images. Research shows that 14 million
reports of suspected child sexual abuse
online could be lost each year.
The UK’s Online Safety Bill, as
drafted, will oblige service providers to
limit the presence and dissemination of
illegal content and to take responsibility
for “legal but harmful” content. Some
tech enthusiasts claim the bill will
effectively ban end-to-end encryption
and object to this as a threat to privacy.
In fact, the bill needs to go further if it
is to offer adequate protection: these
S
ome of the largest and most new services coming to market may
Encryption is popular digital businesses in the
world have started to market their
evade the ultimate enforcement
sanction – the blocking of access in the
not a right services through an emphasis on
greater privacy. They are building
UK – or are designed in a way that will
make it difficult to deliver the
We don’t end-to-end encryption into their
services: securing messages and data so
requirements of the bill. The risk is that
these services make it very difficult for
need a ban on that only the end users can see what is
being shared.
Ofcom to regulate in the way the
legislation intends, and frustrate law
encryption but The selling point is that this
guarantees the user’s activity cannot be
enforcement agencies’ efforts to bring
online criminals to justice.
hacked. However, this threatens to do We don’t need a ban on encryption,
we do need more harm than good if it also makes but we do need more safeguards in the
the worst forms of illegal and harmful bill. The Internet Commission
more legal content impossible to track.
Privacy is not an absolute right and
proposes that before rolling out any
new encryption technology in the UK, a
safeguards for good reason: the UK’s Human
Rights Act states that our personal
tech company should at minimum be
required to first assess the risks, and
information, including the messages demonstrate how vulnerable groups can
we write or images we create, “should be protected and illegal content
be kept securely and not shared detected. Ofcom approval or licensing
without our permission, except in of encrypted services would ensure the
certain circumstances”. So this is a new regulatory regime remains robust.
qualified right, allowing public The bill is posing a challenge to tech
authorities to intervene if the interests companies: how can they use their
By Alex Towers and of the wider community, or other resources and expertise to design
SHUTTERSTOCK / TERO VESALAINEN
people’s rights, are affected. The right services that ensure the safety of all our
Patrick Grady to protection from “torture and families as well as the privacy of their
inhuman or degrading treatment”, individual users? UK citizens deserve
such as in images of child abuse, is an that, and the UK government should
In association with absolute right and must never be insist upon it. O
limited or restricted.
“Unbreakable” end-to-end Alex Towers is director of policy and public
encryption threatens to frustrate this affairs at BT Group. Patrick Grady is a
important legal principle by enabling project lead at the Internet Commission
12 Internet Safety | Spotlight
12-13 Internet Comm_BT_ADV_laid out_RC - subbed-tr.indd 12 04/03/2022 14:54:12I
t’s been nearly five years since the creates a vital opportunity to change the
The pervasive #metoo campaign first encouraged
individuals to speak up about their
way we engage with each other for the
better. Its requirements for Big Tech
culture of experiences of sexual abuse and
harassment. Since then, the discussion
companies to uphold their own terms
and conditions, tackle illegal and
violence around how women are seen and
treated by society has only deepened. In
harmful content, and consider the safety
of their algorithms and overall platform
against women 2021, the murders of Sarah Everard and
Sabina Nessa triggered a further
design were a good start. More recent
announcements from government, such
and girls outpouring of public anger and
demands for change.
as the intention to name additional
priority illegal offences in the bill,
As more women come forward to tell including revenge porn, harassment and
We need their stories, we can now see that these sending “genuinely threatening”
things can happen to any of us; that messages, are also welcome. The Times
to work sexism, abuse and violence against
women is both endemic and systemic.
has reported that the government plans
to make cyber-flashing illegal within the
together to There is a clear spectrum of attitudes
and behaviours that can lead to
separate Sexual Offences Act,
punishable by up to two years in prison
fight endemic everyday sexism and discrimination,
online and real-life sexual abuse,
and being placed on the sex offenders
register, which we strongly support.
misogyny, violence and, in some cases, murder.
The first two are made up of
However, we believe the government
still needs to go further, and should do
abuse and thousands of smaller acts, many of
which might be claimed to be “jokes”,
two things: seriously consider calls from
expert organisations such as women’s
the last defence of bullies everywhere. charity Refuge for the regulator Ofcom
harassment The cumulative effect is entrenched
harassment of women on the internet
to develop a specific code of practice
around online violence against women
and in real life. It curtails our lives, as it and girls; and seriously consider calls
is intended to, making us afraid to from campaigners such as the MP Stella
participate online, step into public life Creasy to make misogyny a hate crime.
or simply walk home. Last year, BT launched Hope United, a
Amid an online world that started out digital campaign to tackle online hate
full of promise for freedom of speech and racism. This year, we will campaign
and equality of opinion, it has become again, focusing on the treatment and
normal that women in the public eye safety of women. We want to play our
experience abuse, while all women who part in creating a better culture.
choose to participate online risk this too Join us. O
– from “dick pics” to rape threats to
being stalked by a controlling ex-partner Helen Burrows is content and services policy
or stranger. The Online Safety Bill director at BT Group
By Helen Burrows
SHUTTERSTOCK / DIMABERLIN
In association with
Internet Safety | Spotlight 13
12-13 Internet Comm_BT_ADV_laid out_RC - subbed-tr.indd 13 04/03/2022 14:54:28J
itarth Jadeja first fell down the
Misinformation rabbit hole when Donald Trump
won the presidential election on
9 November 2016. As an Australian who
had previously lived in the US, he had
developed an avid interest in American
politics through Reddit. He was a Bernie
Sanders supporter and the election
result left him disillusioned, confused
and exasperated. He had recently been
diagnosed with attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and as a
university student found himself with
plenty of spare time. He turned to the
Can you cure a internet to make sense of the world
around him.
He soon found Infowars – a
conspiracy theorist? far-right conspiracy theory website,
which hosts professionally produced
video interviews on YouTube with
Psychology could high-profile figures, including Trump
himself. “I was socially isolated and had
a chaotic mental state,” Jadeja tells
be the remedy we Spotlight. “[Watching videos] was almost
like an addiction.”
YouTube soon led him to a darker
need to help people place. The algorithm recommended an
interview with QAnon. Considered as
more of a cult than a political
who have been movement, QAnon centres around the
idea that a secret “cabal” of liberal elites,
who worship the devil and run a global
radicalised online
paedophile ring, conspired against
Trump during his term in office. Jadeja
says with incredulity that its beliefs
extend to a “judgement day” of public
executions, followed by Trump
unleashing a technology-fuelled
“nirvana” onto the world. “Because it
was on Infowars, it gave it this air of
legitimacy,” he says. He swiftly moved to
fringe social media such as 4Chan and
Voat, where conspiracies thrive.
Jadeja became miserable and lonely.
He had been manipulated into believing
that everyone else was “asleep” while he
was “awake”. But his world started to
unravel in 2019 when he read an article
by the journalist Mike Rothschild
exposing holes in QAnon theories. Over
six months, Jadeja crawled his way out
of the rabbit hole the same way he’d
burrowed his way in – through content
consumption. In June 2019, he left
conspiracies behind. He had also
recently started medication for bipolar
disorder, a life event that he feels
provided him with mental clarity.
He is now a vocal anti-conspiracy
By Sarah Dawood advocate and shares his experiences to
warn people of QAnon’s dangers. He
14 Internet Safety | Spotlight
14-17 Conspiracies_laid out_RC - subbed-tr.indd 14 04/03/2022 14:57:14says with remorse that he introduced his
father to the cult, and now cannot
convince him to leave. “I feel really
guilty,” he says. “For me, hearing any
conspiracies is triggering. I really try not
to think of anyone as having bad intent
now, or of being a bad person.”
Jadeja is one of millions who have
fallen victim to social media’s algorithms.
What started as one video cascaded into
far-right content on the deepest
enclaves of the internet. He likens the
internet to “junk food”: “People binge
and binge, and at first it’s tasty, but in the
end, you feel like shit,” he says. “This
[feature] of just offering people more of
what they want is a real problem.”
Where misinformation comes from
Significant world events often lead to a
spike in conspiracies. Like the
presidential election, Covid-19 brought
misinformation (spreading false
information under the belief that it is
true) and disinformation (intentionally
spreading false information to deceive
others) back into public consciousness
again, from theories around 5G towers
to vaccines causing infertility. But they
are not a creation of the internet age,
says Daniel Jolley, a social psychologist
and assistant professor at Nottingham Protesters at a Unite For Freedom anti-lockdown protest in London, 24 April 2021
University. We need only look at past
events such as the John F Kennedy sources, people become trapped within this morphed into the claim that the
assassination to know that rumours can echo chambers. “The internet is a big vaccine was ineffective, proliferated by
thrive offline too. place and it’s very easy to get lost in it,” Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro and
The most significant change is the says Nowottny. “It’s possible to find consequently spread to 13 countries in
speed and ease at which they can misinformation that supports other 11 languages.
spread. “Conspiracy content can now misinformation, and spiral from there.” The impact of influential figures
be shared within seconds,” says Jolley. Jadeja thinks that information legitimising false claims can be
“Back in the era of radio and print, overload has polarised people further frightening. The US Capitol Building
journalists were the gatekeepers and it and taken away the collective feeling riots on 6 January 2021 were fuelled by
would be down to an editor to publish a that used to come from ubiquitous Trump tweeting allegations of voter
reader letter. Now, anyone can make an news sources. “There is no sense of fraud and resulted in several deaths.
account on Twitter and start pumping community or shared reality anymore,” Boris Johnson’s outburst linking Keir
out a range of ideas.” he says. “Ironically, by connecting with Starmer to a failure to prosecute Jimmy
Social media has democratised so many people, we’ve somehow never Savile resulted in the Labour leader
knowledge; we no longer formulate our had less in common.” receiving death threats and being
opinions based on official news alone. mobbed by anti-vax protesters.
“Now everyone can be a publisher,” says Conspiracies in times of crisis “Misinformation needs to be
Steve Nowottny, editor of the fact- Distressing national or global events challenged in public forums,” says
checking organisation Full Fact. can cause people to try to fill Nowottny. “It’s really important that the
“Influencers can publish to very large information gaps where there are media, politicians and public figures are
SHUTTERSTOCK / JESSICA GIRVAN
audiences without the usual editorial currently no answers, says Nowottny. saying stuff that is true and are willing to
checks and balances.” Facts are also commonly manipulated to correct themselves if they’ve said
In a sense, this has been liberating, fit conspiratorial agendas. Last year, the something that isn’t.” The spread of
increasing our access to accurate as well UK Health Security Agency released misinformation also has insidious
as false information. But the internet’s data showing that there were higher longer-term effects, including increased
vastness means that our consumption rates of Covid-19 among vaccinated animosity, hatred and prejudice towards
can still be quite limited. Rather than people. This was due to many factors, minority groups, and higher levels of
getting a balanced view from opposing including individual behaviour. However, societal polarisation.
Internet Safety | Spotlight 15
14-17 Conspiracies_laid out_RC - subbed-tr.indd 15 04/03/2022 14:57:17What makes someone susceptible?
Links have been found between
conspiracy believers and those who
distrust power and authority. For
example, people with anti-vax views are
more inclined to believe in conspiracies,
be sensitive to infringement on personal
freedom and support individualistic
world views, according to analysis of
more than 5,000 people in 24 countries.
As such, believers of one conspiracy,
such as around vaccines, might be
inclined to believe another, such as
climate change denial. Common threads
include threats to personal and global
health, the need to adhere to
government policy and the need to
cooperate with and trust science.
However, any of us could potentially
find conspiracy theories attractive, says
Jolley. In times of turbulence, being able
to “blame” powerful forces can help
people feel temporarily empowered,
although this is short-lived – the feeling
that someone is “out to get you” can
ultimately lead to greater feelings of
mistrust and powerlessness, he says. QAnon supporters at a political rally in Bucharest
Anyone might also use conspiracies
to satisfy psychological needs that are racist theory. Having always been sister-in-law’s behaviour started
not being met, says Karen Douglas, interested in counterculture, he says the changing. The first Covid-19 lockdown
professor of social psychology at the anti-establishment mentality of the then “turbocharged her descent into
University of Kent. These could be: alt-right appealed to him and libertarian-style thinking” where she
“epistemic”, the need to know the truth “brainwashed” him for five years. “I had opposed restrictions and started
and have certainty; “existential”, the a traditionalist view of the world around consuming conspiracy content online.
need to feel safe and have control; and the decline of the West, and started She has since abandoned her family to
“social”, the need to maintain self- picking out enemies of that,” he says. join a cult in the US called 5D Full
esteem and feel positive about the “There is a big victim complex to it.” Disclosure. Simon believes that the ease
groups we belong to. This might explain It was only when he watched a fierce with which unverified, one-sided
why conspiracies were so prolific during debate between political commentator information can spread is dangerous,
the pandemic. “People were scared and Steven Bonnell and an alt-right activist and worries that broadcasters such as
looking for ways to cope with that he began to doubt his views. “This Fox News, and now GB News,
uncertainty, insecurity and loss of social made me curious and was a gateway to exacerbate cultural division. “We have
contact,” says Douglas. other material,” he says. “The same way I been devastated,” says Simon. “It has
A feeling of disenfranchisement or went into the alt-right, was the same torn our family apart. I think [the fact
societal exclusion can also be a strong process that I left it.” When the that] the UK is following the US is an
propellant for seeking support Christchurch mosque shootings existential threat.”
elsewhere. In 2014, Caleb Cain, who was happened in 2019, he started a YouTube Full Fact’s Nowottny argues that free
21 at the time, found himself spiralling channel called Faraday Speaks to help speech is as fundamental to democracy
into alternative right-wing content on people who have been radicalised, and as the right to balanced, substantiated
YouTube. Growing up in West Virginia, he now also does academic research in information. He is wary of unscrupulous
he had liberal, left-wing views as a this area. “I realised this wasn’t an removal of content and thinks there
teenager but came from a “poor, rural” isolated thing,” he says. “I was should be an emphasis on promoting
background, often had “clashes with influencing the world – I had tried to accuracy, as much as there is on
SHUTTERSTOCK / MIRCEA MOIRA
authority” and had an unstable convince my friends and family [of my censoring false information. “The Online
relationship with his family, he tells beliefs]. I was a little crumb of a Safety Bill could do more to mandate the
Spotlight. After dropping out of college, poisonous cookie.” filling of information vacuums or gaps,”
Cain became depressed and isolated Research suggests that trauma, he says. “The absence of information
from friends, and the internet became whether personal or collective, can can be as harmful as misinformation
his pastime. attract people towards conspiracy. itself.” Recent features such as Twitter’s
What started as self-help videos soon Simon*, an NHS health analyst, says that prompt to read an article before sharing
became anti-feminist, Islamophobic and when his brother died in 2019, his are helpful additions, he says, as they
16 Internet Safety | Spotlight
14-17 Conspiracies_laid out_RC - subbed-tr.indd 16 04/03/2022 14:57:25provide “friction”, encouraging people to productive. “Having a humanised and results show that it helps people
re-evaluate and slow down. conversation [can be more effective] spot fake news, makes them more
While Jadeja thinks that algorithms than instantly debunking what they’ve confident at doing so and limits their
need to be drastically altered, he does said,” he says. sharing of false information. The
not believe that conspiratorial content research was realised through Go
should be banned outright. “You can A psychological “vaccine” Viral, a game launched in 2020 jointly
deplatform a person but you cannot While there is not much in the way of by the government and Cambridge
deplatform an idea,” he says. “These official conspiracy deradicalisation University that helps people spot
people don’t just disappear. They move programmes, there are experimental Covid-19 misinformation through a
to other more unofficial Telegram or projects. Sander van der Linden, social media simulation.
Signal groups where it’s harder to keep professor of social psychology at the The university previously launched
track of them.” University of Cambridge, has co-created another gamified study called
a novel approach to tackling Radicalise, which uses this same
Teaching emotional resilience misinformation, which involves treating “psychological inoculation” technique
There is an argument that there should it as a cognitive “virus”. He uses to prevent people being recruited by
be better education in evaluating online epidemiological models to assess the extremist groups online. It uses a
sources. Nowottny says there are core rate at which information “pathogens” fictitious WhatsApp conversation to
principles that can guide people: think spread online and their “infection” rate teach players about radicalisation
before you share; pause if something based on shares and size of online methods used by terrorists. The study
gives you a strong emotional reaction; network. His research has found that found that it significantly improved
and if something sounds too good to be falsehoods spread at six times the rate people’s ability to spot manipulative
true, it probably is. of facts on Twitter. messages. Such interventions could be
But this goes beyond digital literacy. He has gone further to develop a used to help people who have been
Holistic education around societal psychological “vaccine”, which involves radicalised develop empathy and
tensions would help people have a more exposing someone to a “weakened” “cognitive flexibility”, says Linden – the
balanced world view, says Cain, such as form of misinformation to trigger ability to adapt their thinking and
explaining why racial divisions exist or “cognitive antibodies and develop behaviour to new situations.
why crime rates are high. Perhaps psychological immunity”. The Social media needs to be
controversially, he also believes that misinformation is then followed by a “fundamentally reshaped” to better
conspiracy videos should be shown in “strong refutation”, often using humour incorporate similar psychology-based
school followed by a discussion about or sarcasm, and exposes the interventions, he says. Authority figures
why they are wrong. manipulation techniques used by can also use techniques such as “ethical
With such strong links to conspiracy groups. People may then persuasion” – where you let people
psychological vulnerability, therapy require a “booster” as their cognitive know you’re persuading them and
should also be instilled into prevention “immunity” – or memory – fades. explain why – and offering a more
and rehabilitation, he says. Cain himself Linden says that treating people balanced view to empower people to
now sees a therapist and thinks that early is most effective, as over time make their own decisions. “People with
teaching young people about emotional misinformation can settle more “deeply” the most negative attitudes towards
resilience, empathy, narcissism and in the brain and individuals continue to vaccination react much less negatively if
sociopathy would help them become less retrieve false details from memory. An you tell them the vaccine is not 100 per
reactive and stop them getting drawn in. example is the now disregarded link cent effective and explain the [possible]
A more understanding approach is between autism and the measles, side effects,” he says. “It’s about being a
key to getting through, he says: “Liberal mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, trustworthy actor and persuading
friends would just call me a racist – that which has been difficult for scientists to people at the same time.”
didn’t work. It just pushed me further debunk because it took 12 years for the There is no single solution to
away.” Jadeja agrees that ostracising Lancet medical journal to retract the solving the proliferation of “fake
indoctrinated individuals does not original study. news”. But whether malicious or
encourage them to reintegrate. This technique may seem maverick unintentional, it is unanimous that
Discussing their behaviour – such as why and maybe even controversial. But there needs to be a humanised
they are isolating themselves from Linden’s team has conducted 15 trials approach to confronting this. It is clear
friends – can be more effective than that tech giants have a duty to better
chastising their beliefs. “We need to control the insidious nature of their
offer a path back into society for these algorithms, but governments also have a
people,” he says. “They need an
incentive – they shouldn’t just be
“You can role to play in reintegrating people back
into society. Whether it is the rise in
maligned, ignored and made fun of.”
Psychologist Jolley says that deplatform a white nationalism or a widespread
aversion to a life-saving vaccine, this is
exhibiting empathy, through asking
about the reasons behind someone’s person but not not an internet issue – it is a real-world
problem and it impacts all of us. O
beliefs and whether they feel anxious
about something, can be more an idea" *Name has been changed to protect identity
Internet Safety | Spotlight 17
14-17 Conspiracies_laid out_RC - subbed-tr.indd 17 04/03/2022 14:57:25LEON NEAL/GETTY IMAGES
18 Internet Safety | Spotlight
18-21 Bullying Feature_laid out_RC - subbed - tr.indd 18 04/03/2022 15:04:54Education
Bullies in their
bedrooms
Children's lives
are defined by
the internet, but
whose job is it to
keep them safe?
By Zoë Grünewald
Internet Safety | Spotlight 19
18-21 Bullying Feature_laid out_RC - subbed - tr.indd 19 04/03/2022 15:04:55S
emina Halliwell was just 12 multiple unnamed and unregistered
when she took her own life last
summer. The Merseyside
“This is an accounts to pop up to harass Semina.
“You can open [a social media
schoolgirl had spent the months
leading up to her death subject to a
invasion of your account] without any form of identity,
create a fictitious IP address or use an
relentless campaign of bullying and
harassment from her peers after she
person, not unregistered mobile phone number, and
put people through levels of torment
had reported to the police that another
student had raped her.
your property" and suffering that effectively are
crimes,” says Halliwell.
Though Semina had been subject to In May 2021, the government
this behaviour both online and off, her published the draft Online Safety Bill,
mother, Rachel Halliwell, believes social harassment as a problem, the site states which intends to clamp down on illegal
media played a critical role: “If she that the issues run much deeper, in content, as well as legal but harmful
hadn’t been online, [the] boy would not “attitudes, behaviours and beliefs” that online content, such as misinformation
have been able to groom her.” “have the effect of normalising and and cyberbullying. However, the bill is
To this day, bullies incite abuse trivialising sexual violence”. not without its critics. As Spotlight
against Semina and the family online. While it would be wrong to say reported last year, safety campaigners
“It [is] endless,” says Halliwell, who social media is responsible for these have criticised the definition of
since her daughter’s death has become behaviours, it is difficult to argue that it “bullying” as “wishy-washy”, making it
a vocal campaigner against online has not exacerbated the problem by easy for tech firms to avoid fines and
bullying. “For instance, [someone giving bullies unfettered access to their leave citizens subject to confusing rules
posted on] a Snapchat account victims. Halliwell says that as soon as and little protection.
‘£10,000 for anybody to go to Semina’s Semina had access to social media, she
I
grave, smash it up and video it’.” The was at risk of harassment, and unlike n December, a parliamentary
grave was desecrated two weeks later. playground bullying, online bullying committee examining the bill
Bullying and harassment in schools followed her home. “You close the door, published a report that called for
is epidemic. In June 2021, Ofsted [and previously] those bullies couldn’t firmer protections, making individual
published a damning review of sexual get to you. Now, because of social acts, such as sharing content with the
abuse in schools and colleges, stating media, they’re in their bedrooms.” intent of causing physical or severe
that “for some children, incidents are so Hannah Ruschen, policy and public psychological harm, punishable by law.
commonplace that they see no point in affairs officer at children’s charity the The committee also called for more
reporting them”. NSPCC, is concerned that the online regulation, giving Ofcom the power to
Nearly 90 per cent of schoolgirls and world is designed in a way that actively introduce fines and prison sentences
50 per cent of schoolboys reported enables this behaviour, through “easy for specific individuals within tech firms
some form of online sexual abuse and access to harmful content” and design who would be designated liable for
harassment. The Ofsted report noted features such as disappearing messages. offences, to ensure the tech companies
that the problem was so severe, that Halliwell also points to the role of weren’t just self-policing.
even where schools may not have anonymity in the treatment of Semina. Halliwell believes, however, that the
evidence that there is an online sexual As social media accounts can be failure to protect her daughter lies not
abuse and harassment problem for their created without proof of identity, the just with tech companies. She says, for
pupils, “leaders should take a whole- police found it difficult to trace the instance, that the school failed to
school/college approach to developing source of abuse, and this allowed for separate Semina and her brother from
a culture where all kinds of sexual the bullies, which led to the brother
harassment and online sexual abuse are being assaulted on its grounds.
recognised and addressed”. Halliwell and her sister, Claire, also
In 2021, after sharing her own believe the police failed to appreciate
experiences on Instagram, Soma Sara the gravity of Semina’s experience.
started the Everyone’s Invited Claire believes the behaviour Semina
movement to expose rape culture in faced should be subject to tighter laws.
schools, highlighting the extent to “If you get burgled you would have a
which young, mainly female, pupils fall dedicated team,” she notes. “This is an
victim to sexual assault, abuse and invasion of your person, not your
harassment from other pupils. Though property, and it’s not treated as
a significant number of the testimonies seriously.” When the online abuse was
on the movement’s website involved reported to the police the sisters were
online harassment, many of the told nothing could be done. “They said
incidents illustrated where schools were ‘we can’t trace it’… and it carried on and
complicit, either in the cover-up or in on and on and on,” says Claire.
fostering an environment that In response, a spokesperson for the
encouraged these behaviours. Though Semina, 12, took her own life police says that “on 23 March 2021,
the movement recognises online sexual after being bullied online Merseyside Police received a report that
20 Internet Safety | Spotlight
18-21 Bullying Feature_laid out_RC - subbed - tr.indd 20 04/03/2022 15:04:56You can also read
