‘Super Committee’ established examine Online Safety Bill

  • A Joint Committee of parliament has been set up to examine the Online Safety Bill.  
  • The Committee launched on the 29th of July, will ask the public for their views on the draft legislation.  
  • The government published a draft form of the Bill in May 2021 and is designed to establish new regulations tackling harmful online content.  
  • This Committee is chaired by Damian Collins MP, former Chair of House of Common DCMS Select Committee and members bring a vast range of experiences in the area from House of Common and the House of Lords.  
  • The full story can be accessed here.  

Telegram’s group video calls can accommodate up to 1,000 viewers  

  • Telegram announced new features and improvements, with video calls now able to facilitate up to 1,000 viewers.  
  • While the maximum number of people that can participate and broadcast in calls remains at 30, this new update allows for up to 1,000 to spectate.  
  • This new update also includes one-to-one video calls and the option to auto-delete messages after a month, rather than a week (as it currently stands).  
  • If you want to know more about the difference between Telegram and other messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Signal? We have broken them down for you here.  
  • Full story here. 

England’s statutory guidance – Keeping Children Safe in Education 2021 updated  

  • The guidance received a minor update to part 4, section 2 for schools or colleges on what to do if they have safeguarding concerns about another staff member.  
  • This guidance is due to come into force on the 1st of September in England, for the new academic year.  
  • The guidance applies to Headteachers, teachers, staff, governing bodies, proprietors and management committees and outlines duties for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of pupils in schools and colleges.  
  • For a list of the top-level changes for the guidance, see our summary here.  
  • The statutory guidance can be found here.  

Wales shopkeeper jailed for child sexual abuse images  

  

  • A shopkeeper shared a series of images of young children being sexually abused through WhatsApp on five separate dates.  
  • The man was arrested and charged in October 2019 and following a guilty plea has been sentenced to 14 months in prison.  
  • The man that received these images from the shopkeeper had been previously sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for 24 months.  
  • For tips on how to stay safe on WhatsApp, check out our safety card.  
  • For the full story, click here.