Local MP, Maria Miller has called for greater protection for digital consumers during 2nd Reading of the Digital Economy Bill in the House of Commons on Tuesday 13 September.
Maria has called for the the Bill to include;-
- Include a clear definition of what constitutes online abuse.
- Recognise that victims of online abuse and the appalling offence of revenge pornography should be afforded the same right of anonymity as victims of other sexual offences.
- look at expanding the role proposed for the age verification regulator beyond commercial sites to include peer-to-peer and other communication products where pornography is routinely shown and distributed
- to put in place a levy to fund additional police costs if online abuse is not tackled speedily
Maria said "At the heart of the Bill is the importance of shaping our digital world for the future and of a digitally engaged citizen. We cannot allow this to be a missed opportunity; if we are to have a healthy digital economy in the future, we need to tackle the real concerns of digital consumers and the real concerns about online abuse. If we do not do that, some people will choose to absent themselves from the online world, and I do not believe that that is right.”
To read the full debate click here