LONDON — Britain on Wednesday introduced a plan that would give the government more latitude to regulate Internet content, as part of an effort to force Facebook, YouTube, and other Internet giants to do more to police their platforms.
The government said the country’s media regulator, known as Ofcom, would take on new responsibilities monitoring Internet content and would have the power to issue penalties against companies that do not do enough to combat “harmful and illegal terrorist and child abuse content.’’
Left unanswered were many details, including what penalties the new regulator would have at its disposal or how it would keep tabs on the billions of pieces of user-generated content that are posted on the social media platforms.
A proposal circulated by the government last year suggested that the regulator could issue fines, block access to websites, and make individual executives legally liable for harmful content spread on their platforms.
The government said further details would be released in the spring.
“We will give the regulator the powers it needs to lead the fight for an Internet that remains vibrant and open but with the protections, accountability, and transparency people deserve,’’ said Nicky Morgan, the secretary of Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, the agency that announced the proposal Wednesday.
The push for tougher regulation shows a divergence from the US-led vision of the Internet that is largely market-driven and free of government oversight. In Europe and in Britain, where free speech is more regulated than in the United States, there has been a growing willingness to impose new rules on the Web, particularly related to hate speech, terrorism, and material targeting children.
In Germany, companies risk fines if hate content is not removed in as little as 24 hours. France is considering a similar proposal. The European Union is also debating changes to laws that protect Internet companies from being liable for content posted on their platforms.
Free speech and human rights advocates warned the policies would lead to censorship and be used as a template by more repressive governments.
Europe has been targeting the tech industry for years over growing concerns that US tech giants have too much power and influence.
