Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:26 pm on 17 May 2022.
Thank you very much. Obviously, we are very aware of the UK Government's Online Safety Bill that has been introduced into Parliament. Digital tools and technologies are a part of everyday life for us and it's a very important area that you've raised. I know the Chief Whip and Deputy Minister for culture and sport has been liaising with the UK Government, and certainly her officials have very regular engagement regarding the draft Bill. They've also been in dialogue with Ofcom Wales about how they're going to use their expanded role as a regulator in relation to this. It's a very complex Bill. It passes through Parliament in line with common practice, so there's likely to be a number of amendments, I think it's fair to say, and we'll obviously continue as a Government to monitor the Bill as it does progress.
There is a really delicate balance between freedom of speech and ensuring people's safety online and the legislation will apply to internet services that host user-generated content such as images, videos and comments or which allow users to communicate with others online, and the legislation will not apply to e-mail services, text messaging, multimedia messaging services or one-to-one live voice call services. Online safety is a reserved matter, but this Bill will have an impact on Wales and it is really important we do keep a very close eye on it.