Molly Russell’s father, the British teenager who tragically took her life after encountering harmful online material, has expressed his lack of confidence in efforts to secure a safer internet for children. He is advocating for a leadership change at Britain’s communications regulatory body.
Ian Russell, whose daughter Molly was only 14 when she died in 2017, criticized Ofcom for its “repeated” failure to grasp the urgency of safeguarding under-18s online and for not enforcing new digital regulations effectively.
“I’ve lost faith in Ofcom’s current leadership,” he shared with the Guardian. “They have consistently shown a lack of urgency regarding this mission and have not been willing to use their authority adequately.”
Mr. Russell’s remarks coincided with a letter from technology secretary Liz Kendall to Ofcom, expressing her “deep concern” over the gradual progress of the Online Safety Act (OSA), a groundbreaking law that lays out safety regulations for social media, search engines, and video platforms.
After his daughter’s death, Mr. Russell became a prominent advocate for internet safety and raised flags with Ofcom chief executive Melanie Dawes last year regarding online suicide forums accessible to UK users.
Ofcom opened an investigation into these forums after acquiring new regulatory authority under the OSA, and the site voluntarily restricted access to UK users.
However, Mr. Russell noted that the investigation seemed to be “stalled” until regulators intensified their scrutiny this month when it was revealed that UK users could still access the forums via undiscovered “mirror sites.”
Molly Russell passed away in 2017. Photo: P.A.
“If Ofcom can’t manage something this clear-cut, it raises questions about their competence in tackling other issues,” Mr. Russell stated.
In response, Ofcom assured Mr. Russell that they were continuously monitoring geo-blocked sites and indicated that a new mirror site had only recently come to their attention.
Mr. Russell voiced his agreement with Mr. Kendall’s frustrations over the slow implementation of additional components of the OSA, particularly stricter regulations for the most influential online platforms. Ofcom attributed the delays to a legal challenge from the Wikimedia Foundation, the organization that supports Wikipedia.
The regulator emphasized its “utmost respect” for bereaved families and cited achievements under its stewardship, such as initiating age verification on pornography websites and combating child sexual abuse content.
“We are working diligently to push technology firms to ensure safer online experiences for children and adults in the UK. While progress is ongoing, meaningful changes are occurring,” a spokesperson commented.
The Molly Rose Foundation, established by Molly’s family, has reached out to the UK government urging ministers to broaden legal mandates for public servant transparency to include tech companies.
In their letter, they requested Victims’ Minister Alex Davies-Jones to expand the Public Powers (Accountability) Bill, which introduces a “duty of honesty” for public officials.
This bill was prompted by critiques regarding the police’s evidence handling during the Hillsborough investigation, mandating that public entities proactively assist inquiries, including those by coroner’s courts, without safeguarding their own interests.
The foundation believes that imposing similar transparency requirements on companies regulated by the OSA would aid in preserving evidence in cases of deaths possibly linked to social media.
The inquest into Molly’s passing was postponed due to a conflict surrounding evidence presentation.
“This change fundamentally shifts the dynamic between tech companies and their victims, imposing a requirement for transparency and promptness in legal responses,” the letter asserted.
Recent legislative changes have granted coroners enhanced authority under the OSA to request social media usage evidence from tech companies and prohibit them from destroying sensitive data. However, the letter’s signatories contend that stricter measures are necessary.
More than 40 individuals, including members of Survivors for Online Safety and Meta whistleblower Arturo Bejar, have signed the letter.
A government spokesperson indicated that the legal adjustments empower coroners to request further data from tech firms.
“The Online Safety Act will aid coroners in their inquests and assist families in seeking the truth by mandating companies to fully disclose data when there’s a suspected link between a child’s death and social media use,” a spokesperson stated.
“As pledged in our manifesto, we’ve strengthened this by equipping coroners with the authority to mandate data preservation for inquest support. We are committed to taking action and collaborating with families and advocates to ensure protection for families and children.”
Source: www.theguardian.com
