Thursday, March 28

UK could jail CIOs from next year


Tech executives face the prospect of being prosecuted and sentenced to two years in prison if they obstruct investigations by Britain’s communications watchdog from next year, under a sweeping and historic overhaul of the security law. UK online.

The government is proposing to cut the grace period for criminal prosecution of top tech managers by 22 months, from two years to just two months, meaning CIOs could be charged with crimes as early as 2023.

According to The Guardian, the change is part of a revamped online safety bill, which also imposes an obligation on social media platforms and search engines to protect users from harmful content.

Updated legislation presented in Parliament on Thursday 17 March confirms, and advances, UK-wide proposals to fine or jail managers who fail to ensure “accurate and timely” responses to information requests from regulator Ofcom. .

It introduces two other new criminal offenses that apply to companies and employees: the manipulation of information requested by Ofcom and the obstruction or delay of searches, audits and inspections of the control body. A third criminal offense will apply to employees who provide false information in interviews with the control body.

Culture Minister Nadine Dorries said tech companies have not been held accountable when abuse and criminal behavior have “spilled over” onto their platforms. Referring to algorithms that tailor what users see on social media platforms – which have been heavily criticized during hearings on the bill – he added: “Given all the risks online, it is timely that we ensure similar basic protections for the digital age. If we fail to act, we risk sacrificing the well-being and innocence of countless generations of children to the power of unchecked algorithms.”

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The duty to comply with the law applies to Internet companies that host user-generated content – such as Twitter, Facebook and TikTok – and to search engines such as Google.

The bill, which is expected to take effect at the end of the year, will also allow the watchdog to block sites and apps.

Other changes in the bill include the ability for users of major social networks to block anonymous accounts, in a move aimed at countering online trolls. Large technology companies must submit “risk assessments” to Ofcom detailing how their platforms can cause harm to users – including how algorithms work – and the systems they have in place to prevent such damage.

Dorries told British television channel ITV on Wednesday March 16: “It’s the algorithms that do the damage, so this bill will force those platforms to show those algorithms to our regulator so it can detect where the damage is happening. damage and hold those platforms accountable.”

The bill will exempt the content of news publishers and journalists from censorship, although Dorries clarified on Wednesday that all journalistic content would be protected “as long as it is legal.” Platforms that intend to remove journalistic content must notify their withdrawal and allow an appeal against it, added Dorries. The bill also contains provisions protecting content of “democratic importance,” which is designed to protect political debate.

Companies that break the law face fines imposed by Ofcom of up to 10% of global turnover. The Guardian gives as an example the case of Meta, owner of Facebook, who should pay a fine equivalent to 12,000 million dollars in case of breaking the law. Facebook is a company that has traditionally stood out for its repeated abuses and violations of privacy, as well as for favoring highly dangerous content. Starting next year, Facebook’s usual practices will be criminalized, at least in the UK.

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