Digital minister Nadine Dorries said the new rules will see social media firms “held accountable to their own terms and conditions”.
Speaking to the House of Commons she said: “They will be unable any longer to allow illegal content to be published, and we will also be listing in secondary legislation offences that will be legal but harmful. We will be holding those tech giants to account.”
The long-delayed Bill was finally published in draft form last May and proposes significant fines for companies that fail to deal with online abuse as well as possible criminal prosecution for executives.
The legislation aims to establish a framework for online regulation which upholds freedom of expression whilst also making the internet safe from child predators, extremists and other bad actors - a tricky balance for governments and social media companies to strike.
“We promised legislation that would hold social media platforms to the promises they have made to...