Tech giants told UK online safety laws ‘not up for negotiation’ | Artificial intelligence (AI)

New British laws aimed at improving safety and tackling online hate speech are “non-negotiable”, the top government minister behind Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg has warned. promised to join Donald Trump put pressure on countries they consider to be “censoring” content.

In an interview with the publication observer, Peter KyleThe technology minister has said recent laws designed to make online platforms safer for children and vulnerable people will never be watered down to help the government attract big tech companies to the UK in its crucial bid for economic growth.

His comments sound like Keir Starmer This week he is preparing a major technology offensive in which he will position the UK as a “sweet spot” for the development of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.

However, the Prime Minister will do this because his government is facing constant and wild attacks from Elon Muskone of Silicon Valley’s most prominent figures and a leading Trump supporter.

Zuckerberg also used a broad statement last week to show that he rejecting “politically biased” fact checkers and reducing restrictions on topics such as immigration and gender on Meta platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and Threads.

He added that he would “work with President Trump to push back against governments around the world that target American companies and push for more censorship.”

While he didn’t single out the UK, which passed the Online Safety Act last year, Zuckerberg said there are “an ever-increasing number of laws institutionalizing censorship” in Europe.

Kyle, who is preparing to unveil the government’s artificial intelligence strategy with Starmer this week, said Zuckerberg had struggled with the same free speech issues he had to consider as a lawmaker.

However, Kyle said he would not support the repeal of Britain’s new online safety laws.

“The threshold for passing these laws allows for responsible free speech to a very, very high degree,” he said. “But I’m just making the main point: access to British society and our economy is a privilege, not a right. And none of our core protections for children and vulnerable people are negotiable.

“I was in California in December and talked to these companies. I was there in November. None of this has been disputed. Our travel destination is of great interest. I think there is a lot of suspicion about some countries in the world and their actions.

“But I think we’ve not only led the world in online security, but we’ve done it in a sensitive and innovative way.”

Under the Internet Safety Act, major social media platforms would eventually be required to ensure the removal of illegal content, including hate speech, enforce their own content policies and provide users with the ability to filter out certain types of harmful content if they choose to do so. . .

This news came from my father Molly Russell, a teenager who committed suicide in 2017. After seeing harmful content online, it warned this weekend that the rules were not strict enough.

Following last summer’s unrest, which was sparked by online misinformation, Kyle asked Ofcom to check whether the content is illegalmisinformation spread during the unrest and whether further action will be required. He said his judgment on the issue would not be affected by demands from big tech companies.

“The safety of people across Britain is non-negotiable,” he said. “But it is also better to invest in a country where its citizens are safe and feel secure than in a country where they do not. People vote with their feet on these issues, and platforms where people don’t feel safe tend to not perform as well as others.”

The launch of the government’s AI action plan this week will aim to encourage technology investment in the UK, positioning the country as less regulated than the EU and well positioned for development. Kyle also softens the policies of the previous government. “overbearing” focus on AI safety issues.

The launch of the action plan coincides with Big tech leaders are closing in on Trump as his inauguration approaches. Meta replaces fact-checking with a “community notes” style system similar to the one used by Musk-owned X.

Musk has become an outspoken critic Work government, intensifying far-right criticism of Starmer. The tech boss’ attacks began in earnest last year over the government’s response to the summer unrest, when he accused Britain of “becoming a police state”.

There is growing dissatisfaction within the Labor Party over comments by Musk, whose latest forays into British politics have seen him wild claims about safeguarding minister Jess Phillips. She said the comments made her even more concerned about her safety.

Musk was also angry at the government for rejecting his calls for a new national investigation into grooming gangs.

Starmer said his government was open-minded about holding such an event in the future, but said he should first prioritize accepting recommendations from 2022 Independent Report on Child Sexual Abuse.

However, Kyle said he would be happy to speak to the billionaire but only as part of his determination to give Britain the benefits of new technology, signaling that Labor was trying to avoid stoking tensions with Musk.

“I’m so focused on getting our country to the point where we take full advantage of all the technology that exists, so that we can then move to a place where we create more of it and innovate on more of it,” he said . “Nothing will distract me from this mission.

“I am ready to talk with any innovator, with any potential investor, but on these conditions. The rest of it just doesn’t interest me – except when it gets into the type of content that started popping up around Jess where it really needs to be challenged.

“But I have a very high threshold for this. My priority is to be 100% focused on what brings food to British plates today and in the future.”