The birth of platform neo-regulation in the UK

Brexit – the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union– has been a spur to new regulatory developments. In recent months, the British approach to dealing with big tech has become increasingly clear and the country is entering a neo-regulatory phase. This is strongly focused on regulating “online harms” and developing a pro-competition approach that engenders innovation. An Online Safety Bill is due to be imminently tabled in Parliament, following recent scrutiny of a Draft Bill by a Joint Committee of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. On the regulatory front, the need to address the wide-ranging challenges of digital dominance has provoked the creation of the Digital Regulators Cooperation Forum – a novel coalition of regulators that aims to share know-how across diverse fields as it grapples with platform regulation