U.K. Opens Door to Facebook Tax in Push for Web Security

U.K. Opens Door to Facebook Tax in Push for Web Security
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Twitter and Facebook, along with broadband providers like BT and Liberty, may face a new tax in the U.K. should Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservatives get re-elected as polls suggest on June 8, according to Bloomberg.

The Tories promised to introduce a law that would allow the government to impose a levy on social-media companies and communications providers, to fund measures aimed at making the internet a safer place for young people. The fees would “support awareness and preventative activity to counter internet harms,“ similar to an existing tax on the gambling industry.

The 84-page document offered no detail on which companies would be affected, the amounts being contemplated or whether the party would move forward with a tax proposal should May, who is leading in polls by as much as 20 points, receive the voters’ mandate. Any levy could set a precedent for other countries, giving the U.K. new resources amid a global push by companies, governments and the public to tackle hate speech and online bullying.

The tax is part of a broader Tory proposal to protect data privacy and tackle cyber security, top of mind for Britons following an unprecedented ransom-ware attack that shut down much of Britain’s National Health Service last week. “We are optimistic about the opportunities on offer in the digital age, but we understand these opportunities come with new challenges and threats to our security, privacy, emotional well-being, mental health and the safety of our children,“ the document states.

Representatives from Twitter, Facebook and Google had no immediate comment, nor did officials from large British communications companies including Vodafone, Virgin Media and TalkTalk Telecom. BT declined to comment.