By Bill Heaney
MPs from the Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport online harms sub-committee have reiterated the need for enhanced safeguards to protect freedom of expression in the Online Safety Bill.
In a committee hearing earlier this week (Tuesday 1 February 2022), MPs questioned the Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy, Chris Philp MP, on the bill and called for greater safeguards to ensure that algorithms used to comply with any new legislation do not “stifle freedom of expression”.
The Society of Editors has previously expressed concern that the draft bill contains insufficient safeguards to ensure that valid news content will not be swept away by the use of algorithms and a report by the DCMS sub-committee published last week expressed similar concern that the use of algorithms could result in “excessive take-down” of legitimate content.
Responding to a question by Jane Stevenson MP highlighting concerns that the proposed legal but harmful content requirements included in the draft legislation could see a reliance on algorithms that “stifle freedom of expression and freedom of speech,” Philp said that protections for journalistic content would be “baked into the bill.”
He said: “In the bill, as drafted, there are some quite strong provisions that relate to freedom of expression which is obviously very important. All service providers, big and small, will have to have regard to freedom of expression when implementing their safety duties…in addition to that, category 1 services also have express duties to protect democratic and journalistic content. In considering content of democratic and journalistic importance they must consider the public interest when they are weighing that against any harm that may be caused. Those protections for free speech are baked into the bill already.”
In addition to this, Ofcom’s role as regulator would see it given powers to ensure that platforms are meeting their duties effectively and proportionately, he said.
Perhaps West Dunbartonshire Council will take note of the fact that Ofcom, which they insist I join before I can benefit from their comms services, have no powers in relation to digital platforms such as TGhe Dumbarton Democrat.
He added: “Ofcom are going to get resourced-up. There is a funding package over the first three years amounting to £110m which is partly for our internal resources but mostly for Ofcom. They will be requiring the social media firms, the large ones in particular, to deliver their new duties and the social media firms will have to resource accordingly or they will fall foul of those duties. If they don’t meet those duties they will be subject to regulatory action. The homework of the social media firms will be getting marked by Ofcom and they will be getting fined if they don’t meet it.”
Responding to whether the government had considered the committee’s suggestion that providers be required to have designated compliance officers, similar to that present in financial services regulation, the Minister said that alongside proposals to make named-individuals liable for non-compliance, Ofcom would have the power to request information from platforms including information on algorithms.
Philp said: “The named individual, who will be an employee of the social media firm, will be responsible for delivering up information and Ofcom will have powers of inspection and audit. Ofcom can go in themselves and demand information and poke around and get reports and get hold of copies of the algorithms – whatever is required.”
Alongside this, the bill would see a duty placed on platforms to assess the impact of their policies said Kate Morris, Head of the Online Harms Regulatory Framework.
She said: “The category 1 services, who are the only ones that have legal but harmful duties, have to undertake an assessment of the impact of their policies on freedom of expression and then publish it. That provides much greater transparency around what they are doing to protect free speech.”
New hearing lists service expected to be launched in Spring 2022
A new service that is expected to make hearing lists more accessible to court and tribunal users is to be launched in England in Spring 2022.
Announced by Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) this week, the service will see courts and tribunals moved over to the new platform in phases with a planned launch with a small number of courts later this year.
Scottish journalists will be hoping that the courts in this country follow this good example which they have been asking to be implemented for many years.
Writing in a blog post on Inside HMCTS, the courts service said: “As part of our commitment to open justice, we’re developing a new service that will modernise and improve how members of the public, the media and legal professionals find court and tribunal hearing lists.
“Every year we publish thousands of lists, setting out the cases courts and tribunals are hearing. Currently, we do not publish these lists in one place or in a consistent format, which can make it harder for users to find the information they need.”
The aim of the new service is to make it easier to find hearing lists, HMCTS confirmed, and the courts and tribunals service has been working with focus groups, including media representatives, to both better understand the needs of court users and to test the new system ahead of launch.
Alongside understanding the needs of court users such as legal professionals and members of the public, the media’s access to timely court lists was important, HMCTS acknowledged.
It added: “Justice must be seen to be done, and local and national journalists are key to this. They need to see what’s happening in courts and tribunals so that they can decide when to attend and report on proceedings. They need the lists in good time, before hearings take place.
“We’ll be testing the service throughout early in 2022 to ensure the changes we’ve made meet the needs of court users and provides the accessible and consistent service we have promised.”
As courts adopt to the new service, updates will be shared on HMCTS’ weekly operations summary with the ability to subscribe to keep up to date as the service expands.
Society board member joins Newsquest in interim role
Joy Yates, former Editorial Director at JPIMedia, has announced that she will be joining Newsquest as an acting editor at its Cumbria titles.
Yates, a board member of the Society of Editors, left JPIMedia in December 2021 where she oversaw the company’s North-East daily titles including the Sunderland Echo and Shields Gazette.
Yates will start the position from Monday and is one of two acting editors joining the Cumbria titles while regional editor Vanessa Sims is on maternity leave.
Reported by HoldTheFrontPage Joy said: “I’m delighted to be joining the North Cumbria team in this interim role. The brands are a hugely important part of the fabric of the communities they serve.
“I am really looking forward to working with the dedicated and talented teams behind the digital and print products in such a beautiful part of the country.”