Online safety and digital content oversight

As the United States wrestles with the impact of online content — from children’s safety to AI deepfakes — the United Kingdom has passed a sweeping Online Safety Bill, delegating implementation to the Office of Communications (Ofcom). On November 9, Ofcom released the draft of its approach to balancing protections with free speech rights. It is the most comprehensive effort undertaken by any Western government to date. 

On November 30, the Center for Technology Innovation at Brookings hosted Ofcom Chief Executive Dame Melanie Dawes to discuss the challenges faced by liberal democracies in dealing with online content. Dame Melanie Dawes was also be joined in conversation by Frances Haugen, a data engineer and scientist who made the courageous decision to blow the whistle on Facebook’s content practices.  

Viewers submitted questions for speakers by emailing [email protected] or via Twitter at @BrookingsGov by using #SafetyOnline. 

Registration is required to attend an event in person and guests at Brookings are required to attest to their state of health before attending. Visitors may not enter the building if they are feeling ill for any reason, have any symptoms commonly associated with COVID-19, or have tested positive for COVID-19 at any time in the preceding 5 days or longer in accordance with current CDC guidance, or have been advised by their healthcare professional or otherwise to not enter any space where some persons may not be vaccinated.