The Know Daily - Wednesday 6 September 2023

_{Wednesday 6 September ∙ Read in 5m 34s ∙ Listening to The Kinks}

Two thousand southern white rhinos, which had been confined on a farm in South Africa as part of a captive rhino breeding operation, will soon be freed. This complex rewilding project is set to last for more than a decade and will be one of the largest of its kind on the continent.

📱 Cyber safety for kids

Social media companies could face “humongous” fines if they fail to block the accounts of under-13s, Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan has said.

Tell me more.
Speaking to The Telegraph yesterday, Donelan said that she wanted a “zero tolerance” approach to children using social media. “We can’t expect these young children to grow up and be able to live happy, successful lives unless we’re setting them up right,” she added.

Her comments came ahead of the long-awaited - and somewhat controversial - return of the Online Safety Bill to parliament today for its final stages.

Remind me what the bill’s about?
In short, it attempts to “minimise the possibility” that children may encounter “harmful and age-inappropriate content” online, said The Verge.

One of the most eye-catching provisions in the bill is that it would give the UK communications regulator Ofcom the power to fine companies 10% of their global turnover if they fail to include effective checks to enforce age limits. The watchdog could also prosecute social media bosses who persistently breach their duty with up to two years in prison.

Has the legislation been universally welcomed?
Not quite. The bill has faced repeated delays and amendments, as well as a “backlash” from some in the tech industry who argue that it will “undermine” the use of encryption to keep online communications private, said The Guardian.

Currently, many apps use encryption by default, which means that messages can only be read by the sender and recipient, and not by the tech firms themselves. But under the new law, the companies would be forced to access the content of private messages if requested by Ofcom.

Major platforms, including WhatsApp and Signal, have threatened to pull out of the UK if the law is passed. “They probably aren’t bluffing, and the bill probably will pass,” said Wired.