But with Liz Truss set to take over as British prime minister on Tuesday, she will now have to decide whether to press ahead or hold back, marking an early test.
UK officials have proposed sweeping rules under the Online Safety Bill that would require digital platforms to carry out risk assessments of illegal content and material likely to be accessed by children.
The proposal also targets “legal but harmful” material online, sparking controversy over fears it would enable government censorship of protected free speech. Industry and digital rights groups have warned that the law, which threatens companies with fines for non-compliance, would have a chilling effect on free expression and major unintended consequences.
The proposal is one of the most contested efforts to curb social media platforms globally, and Truss could have a big role in how it unfolds.
Truss did not mention the subject in her first speech as prime minister on Tuesday, and she has spoken sparingly about the bill in the past, making her stance somewhat wild.
In her limited remarks on the bill, Truss emphasized the importance of protecting children online, while expressing concern about the potential infringement on free speech.
“I have a 16-year-old daughter and a 13-year-old daughter and I’m honestly worried about some of the things they see. I am also concerned about young teenagers being on social networking sites and we know this has had a bad effect, especially on the mental health of girls. she told Sky News.
But when it comes to how the legislation affects those 18 and older, Truss said, she will “make sure it protects free speech.”
She added, “When people are adults, I believe they should be able to speak freely, I believe they should be able to communicate freely, and I will make sure that we do what we need to do in the damages bill in internet to make sure we are not affecting freedom of speech”.
“We need to protect children under 18 from some content online,” says Liz Truss, speaking out about concerns about the Internet Safety Bill – but vowed to ensure the law “protects free speech” for adults.https://t .co/ZTbv6x8cal
đź“ş Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 pic.twitter.com/O5hb2m9wj6
— Sky News (@SkyNews) August 1, 2022
It is unclear how these priorities might translate into actual changes to the bills and whether they will address the concerns expressed by critics across industry and civil society.
Truss is already facing pressure to weigh in more decisively from both supporters and opponents of the legislation.
Imran Ahmedfounder and CEO of the Center Against Digital Hate, a nonprofit advocacy group that focuses on hate speech and misinformation online:
Congratulations for @trusslizthe new prime minister of Great Britain.
Excited to work with your government to tackle the hate and dangerous misinformation that threatens British life and community safety by working towards a world-leading internet safety bill. pic.twitter.com/8a0vvGPFLd
— Imran Ahmed (@Imi_Ahmed) September 5, 2022
Nuthi didsenior policy analyst for the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation think tank, this week called on Truss to “save the bill through important changes such as clarifying what harmful speech should actually be illegal , only requiring platforms to remove that content and holding users, not platforms, responsible for illegal speech.”
Nadine Dorries, the UK’s culture minister and a leader of the internet safety push at the time, said earlier this year that she “certainly” expected Truss to continue to advance the proposal if she became prime minister. Dorries, who supported Truss’s candidacy, said this week that she was asked to stay on in her role as culture minister but ultimately chose to step down.
Like Truss completes her cabinet may offer suggestions as to how she will move forward in the thrust.
Trump’s Social Truth faces a dire financial decision
Trump-allied investment firm Digital World Acquisition Corp, the firm that has planned to merge with Trump’s social media company, postponed announcing a major shareholder vote until Thursday. Drew Harwell reports. About two-thirds of the company’s shareholders must approve a one-year extension on the merger by Thursday, or the company could be forced into liquidation.
“The company could delay the merger for six months without shareholder approval, but its executives would have to invest millions to keep the company afloat,” Drew writes. “Some investment analysts have said they doubt the extension would give the company enough time to resolve any outstanding concerns about the merger.”
Biden administration announces plan to provide $50 billion in chip funding
Most of the funding — $28 billion — will be used for grants and loans to build factories for manufacturing and packaging advanced semiconductors, according to the New York Times. Anna Swanson reports. About $11 billion will go to industry research and development initiatives and $10 billion will go to “expanding production for older generations of technology used in cars and communications technology, as well as specialized technologies and suppliers of others in the industry,” as Swanson writes.
President Biden signed The Chips Act went into law last month. It came in response to China’s investment in semiconductors. “In its strategy paper, the Commerce Department said the United States remained the global leader in chip design, but that it had lost its leading edge in producing the world’s most advanced semiconductors,” Swanson writes. “In recent years, China has accounted for a significant share of new construction output, the paper said.”
Lawyers for Musk and Twitter are fighting over the trial delay
A Delaware Court of Chancery judge may decide whether the Oct. 17 trial should be postponed after Twitter’s former security chief Peter “Mudge” Zatko‘s claims that the company was “lying about bots Elon Musk”, Bloomberg News’s Kurt Wagner AND Jeff Feeley report.
At a hearing, a Twitter lawyer downplayed Zatko’s allegations about spam and bots, saying he didn’t raise concerns about them while at the company, Feeley and Wagner report. They also said robots were not part of Zatko’s “portfolio” at the company, they report.
The session also included some new details. A lawyer said on Twitter that Musk had asked a banker in a May 8 message to delay the deal until after a speech by the Russian president. Vladimir Putin. “It won’t make sense to buy Twitter if we’re going into World War III,” Musk wrote. In April, Musk agreed to buy Twitter for $44 billion.
Apple will introduce new products at an event today. Fitness and smart home analyst Angela Moscaritolo:
The sum function tells me that the last 6+ years of Apple events (and I may have missed some here?) add up to 2010 minutes.
What else could watchers of Apple events (including me) have done with that time?
— Shira Ovide (@ShiraOvide) September 6, 2022
Internet service providers drop challenge to privacy law (Associated Press)
Instagram cuts shopping features amid commerce pullback (Info)
Apple to appeal Brazil’s move to ban iPhones without chargers (Bloomberg)
As ex-Uber executive heads to trial, security community spins (The New York Times)
Elizabeth Holmes seeks new trial, cites remorse of key witness (Associated Press)
- Federal Communications Commission appointed Deena Shetler as deputy head of the cabinet for administration and Brad Barry as senior advisor for diversity, equality and inclusion.
- The Federal Trade Commission is hosting a public forum on trade surveillance and data security today at 2 p.m.
- The CIA’s chief technology officer Nand Mulchandani and retired Lt. Gen Jack Shanahan discuss software-defined warfare at a Center for Strategic and International Studies event today at 2 p.m.
- CSIS is hosting an event to stop disinformation and disinformation today at 3 p.m
that‘That’s all for today – thank you so much for joining us! Be sure to tell others to subscribe of technology 202 here. Get in touch with tips, comments or greetings I tweet or email.
