Big Brother Watch has warned that the recently proposed Online Harms Bill is yet another piece of legislation designed to deceive us into thinking the government is protecting us all when something more sinister is likely. Free expression and civil liberty are at stake. The result is a piece of proposed legislation which is as BBW says is “blunt in its force and will have severe unintended consequences”. Think back to the Regulatory Investigations Powers Act 2000, designed to catch terrorists and high level wanted criminals – eventually used by the BBC to catch licence fee dodgers and local authorities to catch underage sunbed use. There are many laws that the government have brought in since the late 1990s now being used against civil liberty and basic human rights.

UK – New Bill Threatens Future of Free Expression and Civil Liberty