Bloody hell, I’ve been digging more into the government definition of 'Crisis' a bit more
So... an unelected regulator is now operating within government where the meaning of “crisis” has become very stretched.
The Cabinet Office Amber Book says an emergency under the Civil Contingencies Act covers serious damage to human welfare, the environment or UK security. (fair enough)
But then it has added ... “For the purposes of this guidance, the terms emergency and crisis are used interchangeably.”... INTERCHANGEABLY?
It also says an emergency/crisis can include situations that have not yet been harmful but have the potential to be (they do not define 'harmful' This guidance has not been voted for or debated
So let me explain why thats so important. it means that almost any situation the government believes could become a problem can now be treated as a 'crisis'. And under that broad language, Ofcom has been able to write to platforms about civil unrest, crisis situations and how they will need to beef up moderation, it isnt just about removing illegal content.
Anything could become a “crisis”, no one voted for the widening of the definition and no one had the opportunity to, because thats how government by guidance works.... hoping you won't even notice.