The
British politician wants the government to censor what people can
post, share and publish online.
by
Amanda Froelich
British
politician Theresa May – yes, the same one that wants to revive fox
hunting – intends to introduce new, controversial regulations on
the way the internet works.
To ensure
Britain becomes “the global leader in the regulation of the use
of personal data and the internet,” she and fellow
Conservatives wants to allow the government to decide what is online
and available for citizens to view.
A manifesto
outlining the controversial move states, “Some people say that
it is not for [the] government to regulate when it comes to
technology and the internet. We disagree.”
As The
Independent reports, Senior Tories confirmed the phrasing to BuzzFeed
News and reiterated that the government intends to censor what people
can post, share and publish online.
The
manifesto explains that preventing terrorism is a top priority and
that censoring content will ensure there is no “safe space for
terrorists to be able to communicate online.”
Much of the
internet is presently controlled by private businesses, including
Google and Facebook. May wants the government to hold as much – if
not more – power, especially on social media.
The
manifesto suggests that new rules would include laws that make it
incredibly difficult to access pornographic and similar websites. The
government would be granted permissions to place restrictions on
seeing adult content and any exceptions would have to be justified to
ministers. Officials even might stop search engines, such as Bing and
Google, from directing people to pornographic websites. New rules
would also require technology companies to delete anything a person
posted when they were under 18-year-sold.
While a loss
of pornography wouldn’t be the end of the world, freedom of speech
would be greatly limited by the new rules. “In harnessing the
digital revolution, we must take steps to protect the vulnerable and
give people confidence to use the internet without fear of abuse,
criminality or exposure to horrific content,” explains the
manifesto.
Another goal
listed in the document is the reduction of online bullying. However
admirable, freedoms people presently enjoy would be greatly reduced
if the government began monitoring chat rooms and the like.
Following in
the footsteps of America’s war on “fake news,” the
Conservatives also aim to regulate any and all news posted online to
ensure only the truth is available to readers – which, one might
argue, is subjective.
“We
will introduce a sanctions regime to ensure compliance, giving
regulators the ability to fine or prosecute those companies that fail
in their legal duties, and to order the removal of content where it
clearly breaches UK law,” the manifesto reads.
Later in the
document, it continues: “While we cannot create this framework
alone, it is for government, not private companies, to protect the
security of people and ensure the fairness of the rules by which
people and businesses abide. Nor do we agree that the risks of such
an approach outweigh the potential benefits.”
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