Britain will make social media bosses personally liable for harmful content and shut down offending platforms under a “world-leading” government plan published yesterday in response to the spread of online abuses and crimes.

The long-delayed and eagerly anticipated proposals lay the groundwork for legislation that could be passed in the coming months. They were drawn up after consultations with social media moguls such as Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg and have faced little resistance from other platforms that have also been blamed for inciting harmful behaviour online.

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But some of the proposals have sparked concerns from free speech groups. “What we’re proposing today is that companies that deal with user-generated content should take greater responsibility for keeping those users safe,” culture and media minister Jeremy Wright told BBC radio. “These are world-leading proposals.” Australia also fast-tracke legislation last week that threatened jailed time for social media executives who failed to enact the “expeditious removal” of footage of terrorism and other odious crimes.