Experts Accuse Big Tech of 'Bare Minimum' Compliance with UK Safety Law
AI-generated image · US National Wire
Testimony before Parliament reveals systemic failures in downranking harmful content and a collapse in successful content takedown rates.
Technology giants are performing just enough to appear compliant with the UK's Online Safety Act while failing to protect young victims and individuals, according to experts testifying before Parliament's Communications and Digital Committee, as reported by The Register.
Clare McGlynn, a professor of law at Durham University, criticized Google and Microsoft's Bing for inconsistent downranking of harmful search terms. McGlynn noted that while "rape porn" is heavily downranked, similar terms such as "unwilling porn," "unwanted," and "forced porn" remain easily findable, suggesting a lack of a systematic approach to minimizing risk. Additionally, Alexandra Whiston-Dew of law firm Miscon de Raya told the committee that some websites openly advertise illegal content yet remain undetected by search engines.
Beyond search results, experts highlighted a sharp decline in the efficacy of content-takedown requests. Janaya Walker, interim director at the End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW), cited data from the charity Refuge showing that the success rate for reports made by Refuge’s Trusted Flagger team dropped from 53.7 percent before November 2025 to 18.2 percent over the last year. Data from Refuge indicates that since November 2025, none of the reports submitted to Meta have been successful.
Meta's Community Standards Enforcement Report noted the removal of 27.8 million posts involving adult nudity and sexual activity between April and June 2026, though the report lacks a specific category for VAWG-related reports. While Google, Microsoft, and TikTok did not respond to comment requests, England's Children's Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, previously told the committee in September that the Online Safety Act "has made absolutely no difference" to children.