Online safety bill: changes urged to allow access to social media data

Imran Ahmed of CCDH says that without the amendment ‘we might end up with less transparent, less accountable and less safe social media platforms’. Photograph: Michael Vi/Alamy

Online safety experts will struggle to sound the alarm about harmful content if landmark legislation does not allow independent researchers to access data from social media platforms, campaigners have warned.

The government is being urged to adopt amendments to the online safety bill enabling researchers to access platform data in order to monitor harmful material. Access would be overseen by Ofcom, the communications watchdog, and would protect user privacy.