U.K. Joins Social Media Crackdown After Live-Streamed Attack
- Threat of fines aims to tackle terrorist content, child abuse
- Tech companies’ management could be held liable for breaches
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The U.K. joined a growing global backlash against technology companies such as Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc., proposing fines and bans if social-media platforms fail to curb illegal activity.
The government outlined plans for an industry-funded regulator that would police the technology companies’ platforms for harmful content, such as incitement to terrorism and child sexual exploitation. The move is part of a push to hold the companies accountable, and fines for breaches of the new law could reach as high as 4 percent of global turnover, Digital Secretary Jeremy Wright said in an interview with Bloomberg TV.