Digital Society: Regulating privacy and content online

Society increasingly relies on digital platforms. But regulation of how we interact with social media, search engines or other online platforms has so far been unsuccessful in preventing harms, ensuring rights are upheld or empowering citizens to engage in digital society. Current laws tend to separate issues out into privacy and online content. This has the advantage of giving clear remits to regulators and focusing energy, resources and expertise on specic issues. But it also holds regulators and policy-makers back when it comes to tackling larger systemic issues. This report argues for broader regulation that brings together the ways data about individuals goes out (privacy or data protection) and how the information they receive comes in (recommendations for online content, particularly when harmful and/or political). This currently spans multiple government departments and regulators in the UK, creating overlaps in some areas but leaving gaping holes in others. At a time when we are relying more and more on large platforms with huge amounts of power, it is essential to empower citizens, communities, smaller organisations, and government, to tip the balance away from a few big tech executives. Only by taking a more comprehensive and cohesive approach can regulation promote rights, justice and equity for a more positive digital society.