Brexit – the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union – has been a spur to new regulatory developments. In recent months, the British approach to dealing with big tech has become increasingly clear and the country is entering a neo-regulatory phase. This is strongly focused on regulating “online harms” and developing a pro-competition approach that engenders innovation. An Online Safety Bill is due to be imminently tabled in Parliament, following recent scrutiny of a Draft Bill by a Joint Committee of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. On the regulatory front, the need to address the wide-ranging challenges of digital dominance has provoked the creation of the Digital Regulators Cooperation Forum – a novel coalition of regulators that aims to share know-how across diverse fields as it grapples with platform regulation.
By Martin Kretschmer & Philip Schlesinger1
I. INTRODUCTION
A new era of tech regulation is about to begin. This is the bold claim behind the UK’s “globally leading” Online Safety Bill which completed pre-legislative scrutiny in December 2021.2 There was intense media attention on the proceedings in the Joint House of Lords/House of Commons Committee.3 One highlight was the evidence given by Facebook whistle blower Frances Haugen on October 25, 20214 and a concrete scenario of unwelcome blogging offered by Graham Smith.5 The Committee’s report was issued on Decemb
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