Violent and graphic content could potentially bypass new laws

By: Ahmad Alsayouf, Staff Reporter, The Pawprint

Yesterday, Members of Parliament of the UK have stated that the new internet safety measure would not prevent the spreading of “insidious” photos of abuse and violence against women and children. Experts noted that violent photos, including child abuse, might still be transmitted via the process of “breadcrumbing” in which criminals leave digital indications hinting that they had dangerous information to share. 

The parliament expressed worry that an emphasis on issuing fines for businesses may lead to “excessive takedowns” of content. 

The Members of Parliament’s comments follow another report by parliamentarians, published in December, that said the draft laws needed to include more offenses, such as content publicising self-harm, paid-for scam and fraudulent advertising, and the intentional sending of flashing images to people with epilepsy.