The UK culture secretary, Michelle Donelan, has defended removing a provision in the online safety bill to regulate “legal but harmful” online material, after the father of teenager Molly Russell said it was a “watering down” of the bill.
Ministers have scrapped the provision after MPs raised free speech concerns. It would have included offensive content that does not constitute a criminal offence, but instead Donelan said platforms would be required to enforce their terms and conditions.
