New Ofweb regulator set up to wage war on social media self-harm content is ‘press regulation’

Social media chiefs such as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg will be personally hit with huge fines if they fail to remove harmful content from their sites under plans being drawn up by Ministers.

But the proposed clampdown has led to a clash in Whitehall, with Theresa May being warned the measures amount to ‘press regulation by the back door’.

The move follows the public outcry over cases such as that of Molly Russell, the 14-year-old who took her life in 2017 after viewing self-harm images on Instagram and other sites.

New regulations were due to be unveiled tomorrow, but protests that they are too draconian has led to the announcement being cancelled.

Leaked details seen by The Mail on Sunday reveal that a new regulator will be given sweeping powers to enforce a strict Online Harm code of conduct drawn up by Home Secretary Sajid Javid and Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright after months of public pressure.

The new body, dubbed Ofweb, could levy huge fines on firms – including individual bosses – if they breach a ‘duty of care’. It would be the first time the Silicon Valley giants have been made directly responsible for the content on their sites – with a particular focus on child abuse and terrorism.

But Ministers have been warned the new rules risk dragging journalists and the public into a chilling regulatory framework. This newspaper understands that Liz Truss, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, is particularly concerned the clampdown could backfire.

14-year-old Molly handed in her homework and returned to her family home before taking her own life

The new rules will target any site that allows users to ‘share or discover user-generated content or interact with each other online’.

Crucially, this would apply to ‘a very wide range of companies of all sizes, including social media platforms, file-hosting sites, public discussion forums and messaging services’. This would mean newspaper websites and services such as Mumsnet and TripAdvisor would be forced to sign up to the regulator.

Affected websites would have to:

• Obey a strict code of practice on tackling terrorist content or child abuse, and actively scan their pages to weed out such content.

• Publish annual transparency reports outlining how much harmful content they have removed.

• Declare how their algorithms select content aimed at users.

• Set up an easy-to-use complaints service that forces companies to respond within a certain time, and an independent review system.

The Adam Smith Institute think-tank warned last night that such rules would threaten Britain’s status as a free society.

Head of research Matthew Lesh told The Mail on Sunday: ‘These proposals are a historic attack on freedom of speech and the free press, the very core of Britain’s liberal democratic foundations.

‘At a time when Britain is criticising violations of freedom of expression in states like Iran, China and Russia, we should not be undermining our freedom at home.’

He added: ‘Websites have an existing legal responsibility to remove material that incites violence, but these proposals would create an extraordinary system of censorship and give the state the power to decide what we can view online under the guidance of safety in moments of crisis.

‘We now see that the Government wants to regulate the press and your social media through the back door. Let us be blunt: Britain should no longer be called a free society if her citizens and her press are directed by Government as to what they can view, think and say.’

Mark Littlewood, director-general of the Institute of Economic Affairs think-tank, said: ‘This is yet another example of knee-jerk Government overreach that could risk jeopardising freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

‘Handing over control to government threatens our democracy and the cornerstones of a free society.

Molly, of Harrow, North-West London, was found dead in her bedroom 16 months ago. Her family later discovered that she had been ‘suggested’ disturbing posts on social media sites about depression, self-harm and suicide.

For confidential support in the UK call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details.