The Tories should defend free speech, not neglect it

The government’s Online Safety Bill is coming to look more and more like some ghastly juridical juggernaut: a vessel grimly unstoppable, even if no-one quite knows where it is heading or where they want it to go.

The latest changes to the Bill, announced this week, look very much like an attempt to make the best of a bad job. They leave untouched the provisions of the legislation aimed at safeguarding the young, but slightly relax it as regards others. The aim is the awkward one of placating three disparate constituencies: child protection activists, those desperate to be seen to be doing their bit to bridle Big Tech, and those who value free speech online. And they are a mixed bag.

The good news first. Anyone who likes free speech must rejoice at the government’s decision to finally drop ‘legal but harmful’. The provision encapsulated the idea that there should be some kinds of material not in itself illegal that the largest internet platforms – Twitter, YouTube and the like – should nevertheless be barred from sharing with adults.