New UK laws aimed at strengthening security and tackling hate speech online are “non-negotiable”, a senior government minister has warned, following Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg. promised to join Donald Trump to put pressure on countries they consider to be “censoring” content.
In an interview with the Observer, Peter KyleTechnology Secretary, said recent laws designed to make online platforms safer for children and vulnerable people would never be diluted to help the government attract big tech companies to the UK in its defining quest of economic growth.
His comments come as Keir Starmer is preparing a major technological charm offensive this week in which he will promote the UK as the “sweet spot” for the development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
However, the Prime Minister will do so while his government faces constant and savage attacks from Elon Muskone of Silicon Valley’s most prominent figures and a leading Trump supporter.
Zuckerberg also used a wide-ranging statement last week to reveal that he was abandon ‘politically biased’ fact-checkers and reduce restrictions on topics such as immigration and gender on Meta’s platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and Threads.
He added that he would “work with President Trump to push back against governments around the world that are going after American businesses and pushing for increased censorship.”
Without mentioning the United Kingdom, which passed the Online Safety Act last year, Zuckerberg said Europe had “an ever-increasing number of laws institutionalizing censorship.”
Kyle, who is set to unveil the government’s AI strategy alongside Starmer this week, said Zuckerberg was grappling with the same free speech issues he had to consider as as a legislator.
However, Kyle said he would not agree to roll back Britain’s new online safety laws.
“The threshold set for these laws allows for responsible free speech to a very, very high degree,” he said. “But I simply make this fundamental point: access to British society and our economy is a privilege – it is not a right. And none of our fundamental protections for children and vulnerable people are negotiable.
“I was in California talking to these companies in December. I was there in November. None of this has been disputed. There is a lot of interest in our direction of travel. I think there is a lot of suspicion about certain countries in the world and the way they act.
“But I think we have not only led the world in online security, I think we have done it in a way that is sensitive and pro-innovation.”
Under the Online Safety Act, major social media platforms will eventually have to ensure that illegal content – including hate speech – is removed, enforce their own content rules and give users ways to filter certain types of harmful content if they choose to do so. .
The news comes as the father of Molly Russell, the teenager who committed suicide in 2017 after seeing harmful content online, warned this weekend that the rules were not strict enough.
After last summer’s riots, fueled by online disinformation, Kyle has called on Ofcom to examine the extent to which illegal contentparticularly misinformation, spread during the unrest and whether additional measures would be necessary. He said his judgments on the matter would not be influenced by the demands of big tech.
“The safety of citizens across Britain is non-negotiable,” he said. “But also, investing in a country where its citizens are safe and feel safe is a better bet than in a country where they don’t. People vote with their feet on these issues and the programs that people don’t feel safe on are the ones that tend not to do as well as others.”
after newsletter promotion
This week’s launch of the government’s AI action plan will aim to encourage technology investment in the UK by presenting the country as less regulated than the EU and well placed to welcome development. Kyle also tones down the previous government’s comments “dominant” focus on AI security issues.
The launch of the action plan coincides with big tech leaders move closer to Trump as his inauguration approaches. Meta is replacing its fact-checking with a “community notes” style system, similar to that used by Musk-owned X.
Musk has become a vocal critic of Work government, amplifying far-right criticism of Starmer. The tech boss’ attacks began in earnest last year over the government’s response to the summer riots, when he accused Britain of “turning into a police state”.
There is growing anger within the Labor Party over comments made by Musk, whose most recent forays into British politics have seen him make wild claims about safeguarding minister Jess Phillips. She said those comments made her even more worried about her safety.
Musk is also furious with the government for rejecting his calls for another national investigation into grooming gangs.
Starmer said his government was open to the idea of holding one in the future, but argued it should first prioritize adopting the recommendations of a 2022 Independent Report on Child Sexual Abuse.
However, in a sign that Labor is trying to avoid stoking tensions with Musk, Kyle said he would be happy to speak with the billionaire, but only as part of his determination to bring the benefits of new technologies.
“I’m so focused on getting our country to the point where we’re fully exploiting all the technology that’s available, so that we can then move to a position where we’re creating more and innovating to get more of it,” he says . “Nothing will distract me from this mission.
“I’m available to talk to any innovator, any potential investor, but it’s on these terms. The rest just doesn’t interest me – except for when it veers into the type of content that has started to emerge around Jess, where it requires a challenge.
“But I have a very high threshold for that. My priority is to focus 100% on what will put food on British plates today and tomorrow. »