Overview
- Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said she will lay amendments to the Online Safety Act to require services to take quicker action to remove illegal content during officially declared 'times of crisis'.
- Ofcom has already published crisis response protocols and says some of the recent Belfast disorder appears to have been incited online, prompting the regulator to contact specific providers over risky content.
- Ministers warned platforms that failure to comply could trigger penalties including fines of up to 10 percent of global turnover or having services blocked in the UK.
- Officials singled out posts circulated on X that amplified calls to protest and graphic material as a driving concern, which has increased political pressure while critics warn the rules could risk free‑speech overreach and international disputes.
- The measures build on earlier enforcement under the Online Safety Act and Ofcom work after the Southport unrest, but key details remain unresolved, including who will declare a 'time of crisis', the exact categories of covered content, and how quickly new rules can take effect.