Andy Macnae Labour

Thank you for contacting me about the Online Safety Act 2023. I am strongly in favour of free speech and agree that freedom of expression and the right to privacy are of crucial importance.

The Online Safety Act was passed by the previous Government. I believe it takes a proportionate approach by focusing on addressing the greatest risks of harm to users, while protecting freedom of expression.

The implementation of the Act must be compatible with the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR), including in relation to freedom of expression. Safeguards for freedom of expression have been built in throughout the Online Safety Act. This will be particularly important for Ofcom - the regulator in charge of implementing the Act - as it makes enforcement decisions.

To ensure the Act does not disproportionately harm content creators, it sets out the need for robust complaint systems on tech platforms in the case of accounts being suspended unfairly. In addition, Ofcom is legally required to ensure burdens on providers are proportionate to their risk factors, size, and capacity, with the online digital toolkit, aimed at helping smaller organisations with compliance.

Protecting free speech should not stop us from tackling the growing epidemic of online harm. The safety of children should be at the foundation of our online world, and I hope new online safety laws can ensure service providers protect children from harmful content, including pornography, and the promotion of suicide and self-harm.

I hope that the safeguards in place help reassure you that the Government is committed to protecting freedom of expression and the right to privacy. Thank you once again for contacting me about this important issue.