Starmer 'Appeasing' Big Tech on Regulation

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🇬🇧Read original on BBC Technology

💡UK PM criticized for big tech appeasement—impacts AI safety regs?

⚡ 30-Second TL;DR

What changed

Baroness Kidron criticizes Starmer for appeasing big tech firms.

Why it matters

Criticism may pressure UK government to accelerate online safety enforcement, impacting big tech's AI moderation obligations. AI practitioners should note potential stricter rules on harmful content detection.

What to do next

Review your AI models for UK Online Safety Act compliance on harmful content moderation.

Who should care:Enterprise & Security Teams

🧠 Deep Insight

Web-grounded analysis with 2 cited sources.

🔑 Key Takeaways

•Baroness Kidron accuses PM Starmer of 'appeasing' big tech and being 'late to the party' on social media regulation, amid ongoing UK efforts to strengthen online safety laws[1][2].
•Starmer announced on February 18, 2026, that tech firms must remove non-consensual intimate images within 48 hours or face fines up to 10% of global revenue or UK service bans[1].
•The government is amending the Crime and Policing Bill to enforce these 48-hour takedown rules and close loopholes on AI-generated illegal content[1][2].

🔮 Future ImplicationsAI analysis grounded in cited sources

This criticism highlights tensions between rapid government enforcement actions on online harms and calls for broader, stricter regulation via a new Online Safety Act, potentially increasing compliance costs for tech firms while enhancing child and women’s safety in the UK[1][2].

⏳ Timeline

2026-02

Baroness Kidron criticizes PM Starmer for appeasing big tech on social media regulation in BBC interview.

2026-02-18

Starmer announces 48-hour takedown rule for abusive images, with fines or bans for non-compliance, via Crime and Policing Bill amendment.

📎 Sources (2)

Factual claims are grounded in the sources below. Forward-looking analysis is AI-generated interpretation.

Online safety campaigner Baroness Kidron accuses UK PM Starmer of appeasing big tech firms. She tells BBC the PM has been 'late to the party' in regulating social media. This highlights tensions in UK tech policy.