"Many Photos" - Social media giants could face criminal charges if they fail to protect young users

Social media sites could face criminal sanctions if they fail to rein in their behaviour, the Culture Secretary said yesterday.

Sites could be forced to follow a compulsory code of ethics to protect young and vulnerable users, the culture committee said in a separate report on Fake News And Disinformation, published today.

It is calling for an independent regulator to ensure companies define and remove harmful content. 

Committee chairman Damian Collins (above) said that democracy is at risk from ‘malicious and relentless’ targeted online misinformation, and added: ‘The age of inadequate self-regulation must come to an end' [File photo]

Tory MP and committee chairman Damian Collins said social media companies were failing in their duty of care to act against harmful content.

He also said that sites must respect users’ data and privacy rights. The report follows the death of 14-year-old Molly Russell, whose father blamed her death on shocking images she saw on social media.

Now the pressure is growing on the Government to tackle the unchecked power of sites such as Facebook and Instagram.

The report, by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport Committee, calls for changes to the current system. 

It says: ‘We believe that a compulsory code of ethics should be established, overseen by an independent regulator, setting out what constitutes harmful content.’

The report said the new code should aim to establish a legal duty of care to make social media sites liable for harmful and illegal content on their platforms.

If a company breaks this code, the regulator should be able to legally challenge the company and impose fines.

The regulator should also be able to request information – including personal data – from sites to investigate claims properly, and the public should be able to lodge complaints.

The report follows the death of 14-year- old Molly Russell, whose father blamed her death on shocking images she saw on social media. Now the pressure is growing on the Government to tackle the unchecked power of sites such as Facebook and Instagram [File photo]

Yesterday, Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright said he would look at ‘all possible options for penalties’ for companies who break the law in a Government white paper, to be published next winter.

Mr Wright told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show that these include criminal sanctions.

The committee’s report also said electoral law was ‘not fit for purpose’ and should be updated for online political campaigning. It called for a review of rules surrounding political work during election and referendum campaigns.

Mr Collins said that democracy is at risk from ‘malicious and relentless’ targeted online misinformation, and added: ‘The age of inadequate self-regulation must come to an end.’

Facebook broke privacy laws while trying to destroy other businesses, the Culture Committee said in a report published today.

It said that social media sites should not be able to behave like ‘digital gangsters’, considering themselves beyond the law. Facebook denied the claims.

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News Photo Social media giants could face criminal charges if they fail to protect young users
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