Britain | Internet regulation

Britain’s Online Safety Bill could change the face of the internet

Tech firms will be incentivised to censor their users en masse

Britain’s government likes to trumpet the benefits of free speech. Announcing a bill designed to prevent stroppy students “no-platforming” speakers at universities, Boris Johnson told his millions of Twitter followers last year: “Freedom of speech is at the very core of our democracy.” The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill was included in the Queen’s Speech, which sets out the government’s legislative agenda, earlier this month.

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Headline removed for your own safety”

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