The UK Online Safety Act does nothing to challenge the dominance of Big Tech.

Government needs to use competition powers so we can choose moderation engines and switch social media provider without losing our networks.

Read our interoperability report ⬇️

https://www.openrightsgroup.org/publications/making-platforms-accountable-empowering-users-and-creating-safety/

#ORG2025 #digitalrights #OnlineSafetyAct #onlinesafety #OSA #privacy #ageverification #freedomofexpression #ukpolitics #ukpol #fediverse

I saw a headline on a UK tabloid paper yesterday, alleging that the majority of people in the UK support a social media ban for under 16s.

There is a proposal for this before Parliament at the moment, and I think that it has some fundamental flaws.

## A proposed legislative amendment to attempt to ban under 16s in the UK from common messaging services, sharing family photos, using Wikipedia, and doing much else online, by imposing age assurance on everyone

https://decoded.legal/blog/2025/12/a-proposed-legislative-amendment-to-attempt-to-ban-under-16s-in-the-uk-from-common-messaging-services-sharing-family-photos-using-wikipedia-and-doing-much-else-online-by-imposing-age-assurance-on-everyone/

#OnlineSafetyAct #children #SocialMedia

ORG warned the UK Parliament that VPNs must not face the chop.

Banning or age-gating VPNs will shatter security and free expression in a self-defeating attempt to make the unworkable workable by playing into the hands predators online.

Read more ⬇️

https://www.openrightsgroup.org/press-releases/new-briefing-warns-against-restricting-vpns/

#ORG2025 #digitalrights #OnlineSafetyAct #onlinesafety #OSA #privacy #ageverification #freedomofexpression #ukpolitics #ukpol #vpn

The UK Online Safety Act does nothing to challenge the dominance of Big Tech.

Government needs to use competition powers so we can choose moderation engines and switch social media provider without losing our networks.

Read our interoperability report ⬇️

https://www.openrightsgroup.org/publications/making-platforms-accountable-empowering-users-and-creating-safety/

#ORG2025 #digitalrights #OnlineSafetyAct #onlinesafety #OSA #privacy #ageverification #freedomofexpression #ukpolitics #ukpol #fediverse

The UK Online Safety Act is badly designed.

ORG published a report setting out a rights-based approach to fix it.

One that limits the scope of the Act to minimise threats to free expression, our privacy rights and small sites.

Read more ⬇️

https://www.openrightsgroup.org/publications/how-to-fix-the-online-safety-act-a-rights-first-approach/

#ORG2025 #digitalrights #OnlineSafetyAct #onlinesafety #OSA #privacy #ageverification #freedomofexpression #ukpolitics #ukpol

Small sites have been hit with onerous duties under the UK Online Safety Act. Many have shut down or geo-blocked the UK.

ORG published a guide through the regulatory maze of duties placed on online service providers by the Act and Ofcom.

Read more ⬇️

https://www.openrightsgroup.org/publications/online-safety-act-a-guide-for-organisations-working-with-the-act/

#ORG2025 #digitalrights #OnlineSafetyAct #onlinesafety #OSA #privacy #ageverification #freedomofexpression #ukpolitics #ukpol

People have been forced to hand over personal data to unregulated age-verification companies to access content and app features way beyond porn.

The UK Online Safety Act put in place no regulatory standards for privacy or security.

We called for regulation ⬇️

https://www.openrightsgroup.org/press-releases/online-safety-act-org-calls-for-regulation-of-age-assurance-industry/

#ORG2025 #digitalrights #OnlineSafetyAct #onlinesafety #OSA #privacy #ageverification #freedomofexpression #ukpolitics #ukpol

I saw a headline on a UK tabloid paper yesterday, alleging that the majority of people in the UK support a social media ban for under 16s.

There is a proposal for this before Parliament at the moment, and I think that it has some fundamental flaws.

## A proposed legislative amendment to attempt to ban under 16s in the UK from common messaging services, sharing family photos, using Wikipedia, and doing much else online, by imposing age assurance on everyone

https://decoded.legal/blog/2025/12/a-proposed-legislative-amendment-to-attempt-to-ban-under-16s-in-the-uk-from-common-messaging-services-sharing-family-photos-using-wikipedia-and-doing-much-else-online-by-imposing-age-assurance-on-everyone/

#OnlineSafetyAct #children #SocialMedia

The UK Online Safety Act is a mess. MPs are debating the petition for its repeal now.

ORG calls for a rights-based approach:

Limit its scope to minimise threats to freedom of expression/small sites, and regulate age verification providers to protect privacy.

Read our briefing ⬇️

https://www.openrightsgroup.org/publications/briefing-online-safety-act-parliamentary-petition-debate/

#onlinesafetyact #osa #onlinesafety #freedomofexpression #privacy #censorship #ageverification #ukpolitics #ukpol

The UK Online Safety Act returns to Parliament.

It's enabled iffy age-assurance providers, wrongly censored content and shuttered small sites while doing nothing to tackle the dominance of major platforms.

Tell your MP to attend the debate on 15 December ⬇️

https://action.openrightsgroup.org/tell-your-mp-attend-debate-online-safety-act

#onlinesafetyact #onlinesafety #osa #freedomofexpression #ageverification #ukpolitics #ukpol

Over 550,000 people signed the petition against the UK Online Safety Act.

This is one of the largest public expressions of concern about a UK digital law in recent history.

We need you to tell your MP why they need to attend the debate on 15 December ⬇️

https://action.openrightsgroup.org/tell-your-mp-attend-debate-online-safety-act

#onlinesafetyact #onlinesafety #osa #freedomofexpression #ageverification #ukpolitics #ukpol

The UK Online Safety Act affects freedom of expression.

Its hefty requirements risk undermining the ability of small, non-profit and public-interest websites to operate.

Read the joint briefing from ORG, Big Brother Watch, @eff and Index on Censorship ⬇️

https://www.openrightsgroup.org/publications/joint-briefing-petition-debate-on-repealing-the-online-safety-act/

#onlinesafetyact #onlinesafety #osa #freedomofexpression #ageverification #ukpolitics #ukpol

New blogpost: "A proposed legislative amendment to attempt to ban under 16s in the UK from common messaging services, sharing family photos, using Wikipedia, and doing much else online, by imposing age assurance on everyone"

I'd have my head in my hands, if that didn't make typing rather tricky.

Read and despair (and don't forget to like and subscribe), fellow Internet people.

https://decoded.legal/blog/2025/12/a-proposed-legislative-amendment-to-attempt-to-ban-under-16s-in-the-uk-from-common-messaging-services-sharing-family-photos-using-wikipedia-and-doing-much-else-online-by-imposing-age-assurance-on-everyone/

#OnlineSafetyAct

New blogpost: "A proposed legislative amendment to attempt to ban under 16s in the UK from common messaging services, sharing family photos, using Wikipedia, and doing much else online, by imposing age assurance on everyone"

I'd have my head in my hands, if that didn't make typing rather tricky.

Read and despair (and don't forget to like and subscribe), fellow Internet people.

https://decoded.legal/blog/2025/12/a-proposed-legislative-amendment-to-attempt-to-ban-under-16s-in-the-uk-from-common-messaging-services-sharing-family-photos-using-wikipedia-and-doing-much-else-online-by-imposing-age-assurance-on-everyone/

#OnlineSafetyAct