Social media bosses could face arrest and prosecution under new rules to control online content The government is looking at classifying social media networks as publishers to hold them legally accountable

Ministers are looking at introducing major reforms to classify social media companies as publishers to make them legally responsible for the content of their sites.

The move would have profound implications across the sector forcing tech firms to be liable for the pictures and videos they host and distribute.

Sources close to Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright told i that he and his ministerial team were working towards reclassifying platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter as publishers of content.

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The move follows public anger over the death of Molly Russell, 14, whose family found she had viewed content on social media linked to anxiety, depression, self-harm and suicide before taking her own life in November 2017.

No more excuses

In an interview on Tuesday, Jackie Doyle-Price, the suicide prevention minister, hinted that the changes to how social media firms are defined legally would be forthcoming.

“They are currently operating as if they are completely not responsible for the content that sits on their platforms. That isn’t an excuse we are going to have any more,” she said.

Speaking in a personal capacity, the minister added: “We could make them responsible for their content by classing them as publishers… I do view them as publishers and I would like the law to hold them to account on that basis.”

Details of new legislation will be contained in a new white paper due to be published in the coming weeks.

Policies such as sanctions and penalties that social media firms could face have yet to be hammered out between the Home Office and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Prosecutions

But Ms Doyle-Price said social media bosses could face arrest and prosecution, putting them on a par with newspaper editors, for failing to rein in the content on their sites. “Nothing is off the table,” she said.

There is far too much bullying, abuse, misinformation as well as serious and organised crime online Margot James MP

She added: “We could use fines, we could make social media companies much more responsible and apply the full force of the law to them if we feel they are being negligent in their duty of care to their users.”

Tory MP Damian Collins, chair of the DCMS Committee, told i that social media sites could no longer claim their content was purely user generated.

“It has been curated for the users via very specific algorithms created by the companies, it doesn’t just appear on people’s feeds like that. They therefore have a responsibility for it,” Mr Collins said.

Online bullying

Digital minister Margot James said: “There is far too much bullying, abuse, misinformation as well as serious and organised crime online. For too long the response from many of the large platforms has fallen short.”

In a speech on Tuesday, she said the government would publish its white paper followed by a consultation over the summer to introduce a new “regulatory regime” for the sector.

A coordinated effort is underway through four separate Whitehall departments to draw up plans to force social media companies to remove illegal and harmful content from their websites.