Overview- The Internet Watch Foundation recognises the enormity of the challenge that Ofcom faces in delivering effective regulation that will meet the Government and Parliament’s expectations of “making the UK the safest place in the world to go online” and improving the online experi- ences of UK users. [...] There shall be no interference by a public authority with the exercise of this right except such as is in accordance with the law and is necessary in a democratic society in the in- terests of national security, public safety, or the economic wellbeing of the country, for the preservation of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, or the pro- tection of rights and freedoms of ot. [...] We are concerned that this gets the new regulatory regime off on the wrong footing from the get-go and sends the wrong message to companies in scope, that instead of stretching the limits of what is possible, the approach from Ofcom has been far too safe and risks being perceived as a lack of ambi- tion, by NGOs, the public, and even the politicians who have all lobbied so hard for the legisla- ti. [...] In a debate in the House of Lords during the passage of the Bill, Lord Parkinson, the Govern- ment Minister for the Bill said: “The Government have always been clear that the way in which a service is designed and oper- ated including its features and functionalities, can have a significant impact on the risk of harm to a user. [...] It has been continuously argued during the passage of the legislation that organisations like the IWF would be vital to the success of the aims and objectives of the regime, yet, formal recogni- tion and agreement on how we help to deliver the regime remains lacking.
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