Free speech and (virtual) assembly flourished and opinions could be expressed in groups or to the world at large, subject only to the bounds of the general law and the conduct rules of the platform, unrestricted by state-sanctioned views of decency or suitability. [...] Proving loss or damage as a result of a breach of duty of care owed by a platform to a user is in reality likely to be impossible and would not capture all of the harms in the government’s sights, or all of the people it wishes to protect. [...] 13 resources of this regulator to police the terms and conditions of, and content and behaviour on, platforms anywhere in the world that are visible in the UK does not augur well for freedom of expression and association. [...] This is not a call for the BBC to be factchecked and down- rated for untrustworthy content, but these cases illustrate the inconsistencies and biases that are in play and the impossibility of definitively determining and pronouncing on the reliability of information. [...] 12 A s put forward for example by Professor Lilian Edwards in evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee inquiry into the regulation of the internet and the Santa Clara Principles, published in 2018 by a group of organisations, advocates, and academic experts who support the right to free expression online.
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- United Kingdom
