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The UK's Online Safety Act, set to take effect on July 25, aims to create a safer online environment for children while upholding lawful free expression. The Act, which has been in the works for some time, has been met with both praise and criticism, particularly from social network X, owned by billionaire Elon Musk.
The Act mandates robust age verification measures for online platforms, requiring them to implement methods such as credit card, photo ID checks, or AI-based verification to prevent underage access to harmful content. Platforms are also tasked with moderating content linked to self-harm, suicide, pornography, eating disorders, and graphic violence to minimize children's exposure.
To reduce passive exposure, the law targets how harmful content is displayed in recommendations and search results, recognizing that children often encounter such material unintentionally. This approach is designed to strike a balance between child protection and free speech, with requirements differing based on the platform’s risk assessment and user base size.
Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator, will enforce the law, with powers to impose substantial fines and sanctions. However, enforcement focuses on ensuring compliance with safety duties rather than mandating removal of all potentially offensive but lawful content. This approach is intended to safeguard free expression within legal boundaries.
The government asserts that the Online Safety Act does not compromise free speech. In fact, it places clear duties on platforms to protect freedom of expression. The government also notes that platforms have had several months to prepare for the implementation of the Act.
Critics, however, argue that the Act's regulatory reach is too broad. X, formerly known as Twitter, has stated that the law compromises free speech is "demonstrably false". The company believes that the Act increases censorship in the name of 'online safety'. They claim that regulators have taken a "heavy-handed approach" with the new law.
Despite these criticisms, the government defends the new law, stating that it does not require platforms to age gate any content other than those presenting serious risks to children, such as pornography or suicide and self-harm content. The government asserts that without a more balanced, collaborative approach, free speech will suffer.
Looking ahead, the government signals ongoing updates to address emerging issues, such as AI-generated content for children and screen time, suggesting a flexible approach seeking to balance evolving safety needs and rights. The Online Safety Act, in its current form, aims to create a safer online environment for children without unduly suppressing lawful free speech across UK digital platforms.
- The UK government emphasizes that the Online Safety Act, when implemented, does not compromise lawful free expression, but rather places clear duties on platforms to protect freedom of expression, especially regarding tech-based news and social media.
- While Elon Musk's social network X has criticized the Online Safety Act, suggesting it compromises free speech and increases censorship, the government insists that the Act only requires platforms to age-gate content presenting serious risks to children, such as sports-betting-related content limited to adults.
- In the future, the UK government actively plans for updates to the Online Safety Act, aiming to address emerging issues like AI-generated content for children and screen time, ensuring a balance between the evolving safety needs of children and the protection of lawful free speech across all digital platforms, including sports forums and tech news outlets.
