Brief:
This article talks about wanting to enforce a new code of practice for tech companies mainly social media sites, this code of practice is being brought forward by The Department for Digital Culture, and Sport or DCMS for short, and the Home Office, yet there are criticism that these plans will threaten people freedom of speech. It is said that senior management of these companies would be held liable for the breaches of this new code of practice, one of these repercussions being the ability to fine the company as well as having ISP to block the site for this rule break. The main goal of the new code of practice is to prevent ‘Online Harms’ such as issues that are already laws such as “spreading terrorist content, child sex abuse, so-called revenge pornography, hate crimes, harassment and the sale of illegal goods. But it also covers harmful behaviour that has a less clear legal definition such as cyber-bullying, trolling and the spread of fake news and disinformation.” As well as preventing self-harm and suicide. This article talks about a young fourteen-year-old girl from the UK who committed suicide because she was depressed and also because of the content she was following on Instagram.
Opinions:
Now there are definitely two sides to this story on one hand people are saying it threatens freedom of speech and the other where they are saying it is protecting people on the internet, now it is a keep move but I agree with both, yes this code of practice could threaten freedom of speech in a minor way, yet if by thinking this code of practice will silence you so much then what is being spoken really should have any place on the internet, or in the real world. This code of practice is being put in place to protect people on the internet, there are already law in place preventing terrorist propaganda, child pornography, “revenge pornography”, hate crimes and the sale of illegal goods, yet there is nothing to protect young children being exposed to all the pro-suicide and pro-self-harm content on the internet, there is also nothing protecting them from cyber-bulling which has a knock on affect of making them feel like they have to resort to suicide. The video available in this article was extremely hard to watch, it was very graphic and emotional. The young 14-year-old Molly was in a place where she felt she had nothing else to live for and committed suicide, with her parents finding her the next morning. This law should be passed, no parent should have to outlive their child.
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-47826946
EIBMU5006Harry18075236 