Priti Patel promises Ofcom 'will have teeth' to enforce duty of care on tech giants

Citing the case of Molly Russell, the teenager who took her life after viewing self-harm content online, Ms Patel said: “If those firms will not accept the responsibility, the government will step in. I will not accept a wild west web where these types of harms can fester and thrive.” Her pledge comes as it was confirmed yesterday a decision on sanctions that Ofcom will get to police the duty of care will not be taken until the Spring when the Government unveils its full response to last summer’s White Paper on online harms. Campaigners like the NSPCC and MPs including Julian Knight, the new chair of the culture committee, yesterday warned the duty of care would only be effective through sanctions that “bite” including “hefty” fines, criminal prosecution, the threat of jail and power to block firms’ access to UK users. Their interim response to consultation revealed yesterday that blocking access to UK users was the “main area of concern” for tech giants who feared harsh sanctions for breaching their duty of care would become an “unacceptable business risk.” They also warned that Government plans to make named directors personally liable for breaches of the duty of care and possible prosecution could have “negative impacts” on the “attractiveness” of the UK for the industry in the future. Ofcom will have teeth when it comes to holding tech firms to account.” She praised The Telegraph’s “trailblazing” campaign for a duty of care, saying the era of self-regulation of the internet was “coming to an end.” “Time and again they have been given the chance to do all they can to safeguard users.