Peers have passed a controversial new law aimed at making social media firms more responsible for users' safety on their platforms.

The Online Safety Bill has taken years to agree and will force firms to remove illegal content and protect children from some legal but harmful material.

Children's charity the NSPCC said the law would mean a safer online world.

But critics argued it would allow a regulator, and tech firms to dictate what may or may not be said online.

The nearly 300-page bill will also introduce new rules such as requiring pornography sites to stop children viewing content by checking the ages of users.

While the act is often spoken about as a tool for reining in Big Tech, government figures have suggested more than 20,000 small businesses will also have to comply.

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-66854618

https://fortune.com/2023/09/20/uk-online-safety-act-bill-censorship-encryption-children/