2 Feb 2021
The United Kingdom’s culture secretary has threatened to impose fines on social media companies if they fail to police so-called hate speech. The move comes in stark contrast to Poland, which has vowed to fine tech companies which embark on censorship campaigns.
British Culture and Media Secretary Oliver Dowden said that if Silicon Valley companies fail to inflict stricter limitations on “racist abuse”, then the UK will seek to regulate the companies under the country’s broadcasting regulator Ofcom.
Should social media platforms be regulated under Ofcom, they could potentially face billions of pounds sterling in fines of up to ten per cent of their global turnover.