Tech platforms face UK ban on blocking news providers before appeal

Tech platforms will be barred from taking down news content in the UK until an appeal has been heard against the decision, ministers have said.

The amendment to the legislation is intended to avoid a repeat of an incident last year when YouTube suddenly banned the digital station TalkRadio from its platform for violating its content guidelines. It was reinstated 12 hours later.

The new provision does not apply to illegal content, known as priority offences in the bill, which covers content such as terrorist and child sexual abuse material, which can be taken down without appeal. It also will not apply to news outlets subject to sanctions, such as the Kremlin-backed RT and Sputnik.

Other amendments include requiring Ofcom, the communications watchdog, to review the impact of the bill on news publisher content within two years of the bill coming into law. There will also be further protections for reader comments on articles. The bill is due to return to parliament next week before being implemented early next year.