FB users will be given new legal right to delete all posts they made as teenagers

[Deleted]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017...te-posts-made/

Facebook users will be given a new legal right to wipe clean all photos, messages and information that they put online before turning 18 under a new manifesto pledge announced by Theresa May.

The Prime Minister will announce plans for new legislation to amid concerns that people's career prospects are being damaged by comments they made as teenagers.

Social media companies will also face significant fines if they fail to stop people from "unintentionally" coming across pornography, hate speeches and other harmful material.

They will also be legally obliged to take down "inappropriate, bullying, harmful or illegal content" that is flagged to them by users or fines.

The Tories will also unveil new powers to hit the entire social media industry with a multi-million pound fines if it fails to fulfill its responsibilities to protect users.

It comes after criticism of Facebook, Youtube and other social media websites for hosting videos of hate clerics and even child abuse online.

The policy represents a significant shift for the Conservatives, who have previously worked with companies in the hope that they will voluntarily make the changes.

Mrs May said: “The internet has brought a wealth of opportunity but also significant new risks which have evolved faster than society’s response to them.

“We want social media companies to do more to help redress the balance and will take action to make sure they do. “These measures will help make Britain the best place in the world to start and run a digital business, and the safest place in the world for people to be online.”

The report comes after it emerged that employers are increasingly using social media websites to screen job applicants. According to one survey of human resources professionals a third of employers have rejected job applicants after checking their social media profiles.

Tony Blair, the former Labour Prime Minister, has admitted that he would have had no chance of being Prime Minister if social media had existed when he was younger.

Under a new data protection act social media users will be entitled to delete their entire profiles from before the age of 18. New laws will also require social media companies to respond when users flag potentially inappropriate content.

They will have a new duty to either "take down" offensive material or explain why they are keeping it online. Last month Google admitted to a blind spot around extremist content as it revealed it is teaching its computer systems to understand which videos are offensive.

New laws will also require social media companies to respond when users flag potentially inappropriate content. They will have a new duty to either "take down" offensive material or explain why they are keeping it online.

This seems to implement the right to erasure (previously right to be forgotten) that the EU is to introduce by 2018 (along with other data protection measures).

[Serpha]

Yes but only history before they were 16 years old which is good, you reap what you sow.

[Independent voter]

It would be better if you could archive them so you can show your kids.

[Wilfire]

Yes, you reap what you sow - in this case signing up for a malicious spyware NWO plot.

[Puupi]

Trump should be interested in this "right to erasure" with his twitter account.

[Magistrate]

Makes so much sense. It's idiotic to hold people accountable for mistakes they made while figuring out who they are and learning the rules to function in society. Plus, we really had no idea that businesses would leverage technology never intended for job searching as a means for rejecting applicants.

Honestly, I hope it soon becomes illegal for businesses to use social media that wasn't designed primarily for employer research to decline applicants. We're supposed to keep our personal life out of the office, so it shouldn't be used against us. Can't have it both ways.

[Azadina]

I'm fine with this. Ultimately it doesn't matter much, because people who like stuff like hatespeech will do that in their 20's too, and they can't delete it then either.