Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the effective use of Ofcom’s powers under the Online Safety Act 2023.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Secretary of State has written to Melanie Dawes and made absolutely clear the Government's full backing for Ofcom using all its powers to enfore the Act. Ofcom has issued fines under the Act to three services, including fining a pornography company £1 million. I welcome Ofcom's decision earlier this month to look into whether major social media platforms are meeting their duties to remove illegal terrorist and hate content. There are no more excuses for failing to protect users.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she plans to introduce legislative proposals to require on-device safety technology capable of detecting and preventing livestreamed child sexual abuse on devices sold in the UK.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
We are committed to preventing the livestreaming of child sexual abuse, including through strengthening our online safety regime if appropriate. There is currently limited evidence about the application and effectiveness of on-device controls. However, Ofcom has recently launched a call for evidence on age assurance and app stores. We will continue to focus on implementing the protective measures contained within the Online Safety Act, while considering the potential benefits and impacts of this technology and others like it in parallel. Any future intervention will be proportionate and evidence based.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to regulate artificial intelligence.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
AI is already regulated in the UK, including by competition, data, online safety and sectoral rules. Most AI systems should be regulated at the point of use by our existing regulators.
The government’s approach is also supported by the work of the AI Security Institute which has deepened our understanding of the critical risks posed by frontier AI. The government is committed to ensuring that the UK is prepared for the changes AI will bring.