Hacked Off’s analysis shows that the video platform Rumble, where Russell Brand posts video content for his followers, appears to be close to benefiting from the “press loophole” in the Online Safety Bill. This loophole was successfully lobbied for by national newspapers, in spite of warnings from Hacked Off and other civil society organisations that it was at risk of abuse from extremist and other harmful publishers.Read it here:https://hackinginquiry.org/russell-brands-rumble-channel-may-benefit-from-press-loophole-in-online-safety-bill/Rumble may be so close to qualifying for the exemption that all it needs to do is establish a UK address. If it were able to do so, platforms like Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) would be powerless to stop content from Rumble being reposted onto their networks.Organisations which are either able to qualify for these special protections immediately, or could do so with minor administrative reforms, include hateful, extremist blogs and other websites from across the internet, as well as entities like Rumble, which is where Russell Brand’s content is published.The question of Rumble’s qualification as a recognised news publisher is independent of the question of whether it also stands to be regulated as a platform under the Bill.Hacked Off CEO Nathan Sparkes said,

“The criteria an organisation must meet to qualify as a “recognised news publisher” in the Online Safety Bill are so loose that almost any entity calling itself a news website could find a way to qualify. The social media posts of those who do so will be immune from the regulatory regime set out in the Bill, and platforms will have a positive obligation to host their content. “This loophole results from the national press’ demands for special treatment under the bill, no matter the cost, and the Government’s willingness to indulge those demands in spite of the risks to the public this dangerous and poorly drafted exemption has created." “This exemption has rendered the Online Safety Bill weak and inadequate, and as a result, there is a risk that the net effect of this Bill will be to leave the public less safe than before.”

For comment:press@hackinginquiry.org / 07826 528296Read the analysis:https://hackinginquiry.org/russell-brands-rumble-channel-may-benefit-from-press-loophole-in-online-safety-bill/