Schedule 3: Timing of providers’ assessments User-to-user services likely to be accessed by children Section 17: Duties to protect content of democratic importance
This section sets out the duties on providers of Category 1 services to protect content of democratic importance on their services.
	Subsection (2) places a duty on providers of Category 1 services to take into account the importance of freedom of expression when designing proportionate systems and processes for taking decisions about content of democratic importance or about users who post such content. This includes decisions about whether to take the content down, to restrict access to it or to take action against a user of the service. For example, providers of Category 1 services could adopt processes to identify democratically important content and ensure users have access to this, even where it might otherwise be voluntarily removed (i.e. for non-compliance with the providers own terms of service, rather than as otherwise required by the Act’s safety duties).
	Subsection (3) requires providers to apply these systems and processes in the same way to a wide diversity of political opinion. This is to ensure that providers of Category 1 services do not privilege some political opinions over others when deciding how to protect content of democratic importance.
	Subsection (4) requires providers to set out in terms of service the policies and processes designed when complying with subsection (2).
	Subsection (5) requires that these terms of service are clear and consistently applied. The intention is that the terms of service should be easily understandable for users and that similar decisions are taken about the treatment of similar pieces of content.
	Subsection (7) defines "content of democratic importance" as news publisher content or regulated user-generated content, both defined under section 55, which is, or appears to be, specifically intended to contribute to democratic political debate in the United Kingdom or in any part or area of the United Kingdom. Examples of such content would be content promoting or opposing government policy and content promoting or opposing a political party.