UK minister urges social media firms to remove dangerous driving videos
Ministers said platforms should delete clips that glorify wrong-way driving or face action under the Online Safety Act after the fatal A66 crash.
- On Monday, the UK government demanded social media platforms remove dangerous 'wrong-way' driving content following a fatal A66 crash near Middlesbrough that killed seven people early Saturday.
- A Volkswagen Passat fleeing police collided with an armed-response vehicle, killing PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, along with five young occupants travelling the wrong way down the dual carriageway.
- Previously posted TikTok footage appeared to show 23-year-old Jacob Matusiak filming himself driving recklessly, prompting Defence Minister Luke Pollard to demand removal of content that "celebrates this type of dangerous behaviour."
- Pollard warned the government will use the Online Safety Act to compel platforms to delete videos celebrating dangerous driving, preventing financial incentives that encourage such behavior.
- The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating the collision, while a fundraiser for the officers' families reached more than £250,000 by early Monday.
23 Articles
23 Articles
The dangerous driving videos flooding TikTok
A government minister has urged social media companies to “step up” and remove “content that celebrates dangerous driving”, after recent fatal collisions caused by young people driving on the wrong side of the road.Seven people died in the early hours of Saturday morning when a Volkswagen Passat, containing five young men, sped the wrong way down the A66 near Middlesbrough and crashed into a police armed response vehicle. Last weekend, five teen…
Andy Burnham wades into 'truly reprehensible' glorification of dangerous driving following fatal A66 crash
Andy Burnham has spoken out on the glorification of dangerous driving following the fatal A66 crash.During a visit to Kyiv in Ukraine, the Prime Minister described people who share the footage as “doing something that’s truly reprehensible".In total, seven people died in the collision after a VW Passat drove the wrong way down the busy A-road near Middlesbrough, including two police officers.PC Matthew Blades, 38 and PC Tom Clough, 37, were kill…
British Deputy Defence Minister Luke Pollard says the British government has asked social media platforms to take down content that glorifies dangerous driving, Sky News reports. This is in response to an accident in which seven people died over the weekend.
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