Ofcom to Fine Social Media Firms Containing Harmful Content

Ofcom’s new boss said that we will not hesitate to impose fines on social media firms who fail to deal with harmful content. The watchdog will also suspend the platforms temporarily in extreme cases of harmful acts.

Chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes while responding to questions from MPs on the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, said that the government has not yet announced which body will be given the role of overseeing content on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Google, although Ofcom is the most likely candidate.

Ofcom to Fine Social Media Firms Containing Harmful Content

The new regulator will impose penalties on a range of content that includes bullying, child abuse, terrorism, and fake news.

She further said that the “Fines need to be part of the regime. There are extremely large companies with significant financial muscle,”

According to Dame Dawes that regulating Twitter and Facebook would be a big challenge but she promised that if Ofcom was appointed to the role, then we will take some strict action against the harmful content.

Chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes said that we really need to know a lot more about the behavior of anonymous accounts. Transparency at the moment is just not good enough,”

Note: Ofcom is a broadcasting regulator, which already has powers across the television, radio, and telecoms sectors, said it shares the government’s “ambition to keep people safe online”.

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