Govt expands Online Safety Bill to include paid-for adverts

The government said it would introduce a new legal duty to the Bill requiring the largest and most popular social media platforms and search engines to "prevent paid-for fraudulent adverts appearing on their services". Initially, the government planned to include user-generated scams, not paid-for adverts, in the legislation. However, this was met with a concerted campaign by organisations such as the Association of British Insurers and PIMFA, as well as pension providers and commentators such as Martin Lewis, urging the inclusion of paid advertising. Debbie Barton, financial crime pr...