Crackdown on internet 'will put free Press at risk', warns Society of Editors
Crackdown on
internet 'will put free Press at risk', warns Society of Editors
·
The new
rules are drawn up by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
·
Internet
firms will be forced to introduce strict new age checks on their websites
·
Critics fear
people could end up being forced to demonstrate their age for virtually every
website they visit
·
Draconian new rules designed to make the web safer for
children will wreak 'untold harm' on newspapers and websites, the Society of
Editors has warned.
The proposed code will limit online advertising so
severely it will drive regional newspapers to the point of collapse and
'severely damage' national newspapers and broadcasters, the influential
industry group said.
Under the rules, drawn up by the Information
Commissioner's Office (ICO), internet firms will be forced to introduce strict
new age checks on their websites – or treat all of their users as if they are
children.
The code is so stringent that critics fear people could
end up being forced to demonstrate their age for virtually every website they
visit, or have the services they can access limited as if they are under
18.
They may have to log in every time they visit commercial
news websites, browse holidays online or access internet shopping sites.
Companies that do not stick to the new rule will face
fines of up to 4 per cent of their global turnover. In the case of Facebook,
this would cost them £1.67billion.
The radical proposals, published last month, were
supposed to protect children online, according to Information Commissioner
Elizabeth Denham. Critics have already accused the ICO of 'infantilising' web
users.
Yesterday, in a strongly-worded letter to Miss Denham,
Society of Editors executive director Ian Murray warned that it could also
force news providers to water content down to the point that it becomes
'irrelevant'.
He added that if they do not do so, they could risk
losing readers and advertising because people are 'unable or unwilling' to sign
in.
Mr Murray said the demands of the ICO code 'would prove
virtually impossible to apply without either losing the vast majority of
visitors unable or unwilling to provide proof of age, or damaging content to
the point where it becomes irrelevant'.
He insisted: 'If publishers decide age verification is
untenable and stop collecting data as a result, then they would face huge loss
of advertising revenue when it becomes no longer possible to provide potential
advertisers with essential audience measurement.
'The whole regime, if enacted, would mean a watering-down
of editorial content.'
He added: 'The effect would be to severely damage the
media industry, making many news and media online offerings simply untenable.'
The society, whose nearly 400 members include editors,
lawyers and other senior figures, also warned the proposed measures could have
a negative impact on the children they were designed to protect.
It stressed: 'There has always been an encouragement that
young adults and teenagers engage with the world through reading newspapers and
following news broadcasts. The proposed age-appropriate codes would seem to go
against that body of thought.'
The final version of the code could come into force as
early as the autumn. It applies to virtually every website that makes money
online.
The ICO said: 'We're aware of media industry concerns.
'We'll be considering all responses we've had, as well as
engaging further where necessary once the consultation has finished.'
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