Britain is coming for big tech - here's how Silicon Valley is responding

Rebecca Stimson, Facebook's head of UK public policy, said in a statement:

"The internet has transformed how billions of people live, work and connect with each other, but new forms of communication also bring huge challenges. We have responsibilities to keep people safe on our services and we share the government's commitment to tackling harmful content online.

"As Mark Zuckerberg said last month, new regulations are needed so that we have a standardised approach across platforms and private companies aren't making so many important decisions alone.

"While we've tripled the team working to identify harmful content and protect people to 30,000 and invested heavily in technology to help prevent abuse of our platform, we know there is much more to do. We are continually reviewing our policies with experts and working to ensure our reporting, artificial intelligence and machine learning systems remain industry-leading.

"New rules for the internet should protect society from harm while also supporting innovation, the digital economy and freedom of speech. These are complex issues to get right and we look forward to working with the Government and Parliament to ensure new regulations are effective."