Under the Online Safety Bill, the British government can compel social media platforms to quickly remove illegal online content and enforce age verification measures, among other powers. If firms do not comply, its media regulator can issue penalties of up to £18 million or 10 per cent of their annual global revenue. The bill, which the U.K. government says will become law “soon,” also includes anti-fraud laws and protection against the sharing of non-consensual sharing of intimate images. (The Logic)

Talking point: In the works since 2021, the law passed despite objections from tech firms including Meta-owned WhatsApp, which said provisions in the law will cease end-to-end encryption on its messaging service. The Online Safety Bill follows last month’s implementation of the European Union’s Digital Services Act, which seeks to curb “manipulative algorithmic systems” that “amplify the spread of disinformation, and for other harmful purposes.” In Canada, the federal government promised to introduce online harms legislation within a hundred days of the September 2021 election. It has not done so.