23 hrs ago
Nandy condemns X for skipping UK doxxing summit
Lisa Nandy is angry because X did not attend a meeting about people being harassed online.
The meeting discussed private addresses and other personal information being posted without permission.
RNLI volunteers were targeted after helping migrants in small boats.
Police officers, journalists and shop workers were also said to have faced online or in-person harassment.
Nandy said the law does not automatically treat posting an address as a crime.
She may support changing the law so this becomes a specific offence.
Meta said it would not automatically remove this kind of content, but TikTok said it would.
Ofcom said the Online Safety Act has not made enough progress yet.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy called X’s absence from a meeting on online abuse an “absolute disgrace.”
RNLI volunteers, police officers and journalists were reportedly targeted after protests over small-boat migrant rescues.
Nandy said publishing someone’s address is not automatically a criminal offence unless intent to cause harm is shown.
Meta said such content would not be removed automatically, while TikTok said it would take that action.
Ofcom said progress under the Online Safety Act had been underwhelming, with enforcement described as slow.
- Who
- Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, social-media companies, Ofcom, RNLI volunteers, police officers and journalists.
- What
- A dispute over doxxing and online abuse, after X did not attend a government meeting on the issue.
- Where
- The issue concerns online platforms and incidents linked to demonstrations in Dover and Portsmouth.
- When
- The meeting was discussed by Nandy on Wednesday the 16th; Ofcom said the Online Safety Act would not be fully operational until mid-next year.
- Why
- Nandy said people’s addresses, names and photographs were being posted or used to harass them, while current law does not automatically criminalise publishing an address.
Stronger regulation and automatic removal
Existing platform approaches and enforcement limits
Doxxing laws
Stronger regulation and automatic removal
Nandy said she was prepared to change the law so posting someone’s address online becomes a specific criminal offence.
Existing platform approaches and enforcement limits
Under the current law, publishing an address is not automatically a criminal offence unless there is clear intent to cause harm and distress.
Automatic takedowns
Stronger regulation and automatic removal
TikTok said it would automatically remove the type of personal information discussed at the meeting.
Existing platform approaches and enforcement limits
Meta said such content would not be taken down automatically, reflecting a less automatic removal approach.
Online Safety Act progress
Stronger regulation and automatic removal
Nandy criticised the lack of fines and described enforcement by Ofcom as incredibly slow.
Existing platform approaches and enforcement limits
Ofcom’s Oliver Griffiths said the act would not be fully operational until mid-next year, while acknowledging that progress had been underwhelming.
Key facts
- Government criticism
- Lisa Nandy called X’s failure to attend the meeting an “absolute disgrace” and accused it of showing contempt for people’s safety.
- People targeted
- RNLI volunteers, police officers, journalists and shop workers were identified as targets of online abuse or harassment.
- Current law
- Publishing an address is criminalised only where there is clear intent to cause harm and distress, according to Nandy.
- Platform policies
- Meta said the content would not be removed automatically; TikTok said it would remove it automatically.
- Regulatory progress
- Ofcom acknowledged that the impact of the Online Safety Act had been “underwhelming” so far.
- Enforcement
- Nandy said no technology company had yet paid a fine under the Online Safety Act.
- 4Chan fine
- Ofcom had previously fined 4Chan £520,000 for breaching the Online Safety Act.
Quotes
Lisa Nandy
UK Culture Secretary
“I was astonished when I took on responsibility for this a few weeks ago to find that publishing people's addresses online is not automatically a criminal offence and isn't automatically taken down by the social media companies.”
easterneye.biz
“I'm really, really very angry about the treatment of RNLI charity volunteers and staff who've been attacked online. They've had their names and their photographs published for doing the life-saving work that they're doing.”
easterneye.biz
Sources
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