March 2019
Price: £95 PLUS VAT
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This seminar examined priorities and options for the regulation of the internet - focusing on UK policy and industry practice, and the international dimension.
It took place as the Government prepared to publish the joint DCMS-Home Office Internet Safety Strategy White Paper, and in the context of wider work taking place under the broader Digital Charter - as well as the publication of the Cairncross Review, which includes recommendations for new obligations on large online platforms with respect to news content.
Discussion focused on what any future regulation might look like, and what more can be done to regulate harmful online content whilst protecting freedom of expression.
Delegates also considered key practical questions around the identification and tracking of harmful content, and removal and takedown processes - as well as the roles and responsibilities of governments, regulators and enforcement agencies, technology and infrastructure providers, and internet businesses and services along with their customers and audiences.
Taking place following the Government’s announcement that it will extend online age-verification to social media sites, sessions also considered key challenges for its implementation, and the range of impacts for businesses and service users. They also examined more broadly the range of proposed measures on social media, including new codes of practice and more stringent transparency standards.
Discussion also considered the progress of existing industry-led solutions and initiatives, and what difficulties have been encountered - including issues around measurement and identification, developing a standardised approach across the industry - and potential next steps for further intervention.
Informed by the Lords Communications Committee inquiry on regulation of the internet, and developments in Europe - as well as reflecting developments in the United States and more widely - delegates assessed options for international collaboration, oversight, enforcement and education.
