Since the Online Safety Act came into effect, we’ve seen an awful lot of political censorship and nothing in the way of saving children. Also see Phase 2 due next year, including direct access to sites source code and complete unfiltered access to all accounts tied to IP addresses.

by 5secondhumiliation

26 comments

  2. Apart from needing a VPN to wank anonymously, how does this affect me?

  3. # Context: What’s a “Regulated Service”? This refers to tech companies or platforms providing online communication services, such as:

    * Social media networks (Facebook, TikTok, X)
    * Messaging apps (WhatsApp, Telegram)
    * Video sharing (YouTube, Twitch)
    * Hosting services and ISPs

    It **does not** apply to private homes or individuals unless they are **running a regulated service** from the premises.

    Likely Real-Life Scenario: Let’s imagine a UK-based company is hosting a new social media platform that allows user-generated content. OFCOM receives complaints that the platform is failing to remove harmful content (e.g. illegal hate speech, child abuse material).

    Here’s how this would likely play out:

    1. OFCOM investigates and identifies a registered UK company running the platform.
    2. OFCOM sends **a written notice 7 days in advance** to the company’s office.
    3. An authorised officer visits during business hours, shows ID, and explains they are there to carry out an inspection.
    4. They inspect systems and request access to moderation logs or safety compliance documentation.
    5. If the company refuses or obstructs, OFCOM can **seek a warrant** to compel access.

    What This Is *Not*: This law does **not** give OFCOM or the government:

    * The right to burst into private homes or spy on ordinary users
    * Powers to inspect without notice (unless a warrant is granted)
    * Free access to encrypted messages (though the **Online Safety Act** has been controversial here too)

  5. To OSA defenders, will you still be fine with this government overreach after reform get in?

  6. I hate this so much. We’ve got a billion problems in this country, I wish they’d put this much effort into literally anything else. 

  9. The really wild thing is recent polls show the vast majority of Brits either support the OSA or are ambivalent about it. Most don’t think it will have any major effect, either. Quite a few say it doesn’t go far enough.

    So those of us who spend a lot of time online are horrified and angry about it are in a very small minority. It’s gonna get worse.

  10. I’m sorry, OFCOM will be allowed to bash my door in if I don’t open the door?

  11. good luck getting source code from overseas companies

    and good luck understanding the obfuscated “optimised” code they do get that will require all sorts of libraries and special configurations etc

    ditto audit and inspection when server farms are overseas and UK staff have no access

  12. Youre average peasant wont understand any of this, but basically goodbye to any sort of security or safety. 

  13. They could protect kids better by not touching them or protecting the people that do… But that would be wild huh

  15. Buy Starlink, set up private VPN servers. The Government will 100% cut Internet access as things get worse with the riots.

  16. You’re telling me the government doesn’t actually give a crap about children and only wants an authoritative future? Colour me surprised!

  17. Never in all my life have I felt more vindicated, calling out Keir Starmer being such an obvious MI6 spook backed candidate.

  19. And from there, it’s a tiny baby step to being able to identify people being critical of the government of the day.

  20. Well, the internet was nice while it lasted, but I think it’s time to stop using it and remove it from my life. 

  21. They can pass whatever laws they like, they ain’t having my source code unless they pay me for it.

  22. I kinda feel that the vast majority of websites out there will go “lol no” and just block UK ips, if they respond at all.

  23. If it was really about protecting children they’d let the parents parent.

    They could enforce ISPs to roll out home routers with content controls. The parents can then decide what content their children can have. To make it easier, as a lot of people are IT illiterate, they can link their home router to a mobile app to make it easy.

    Children under 16 can’t have phone contracts in their name so again, the parent has access to their mobile plans where they can implement content controls.

    They could also enforce shops to age check kids they suspect are under 16 if they try to buy a SIM

    If a parent decides they want their own router without content controls then that’s the choice they’ve made.

    This is 100% about controlling the narrative and censorship. As many people have pointed out already. The same week this policy came into action. Channel 4 (UK) showed a documentary of boonie blue getting ploughed.

  25. It’s just going to make even more tech companies bail on the UK, it already will just from the advertising and data analytics implications of hundreds of thousands of people suddenly using VPN’s and appearing to be on other countries.

  26. A few of the things I have been reading about that have not asked me to verify age.

    Hunting/skinning knives.

    Guns.

    Ammunition.

    Gun shops

    Cocodamol (morphine type pain killer)

    No once have I been asked to verify my age and tbh although I have legal reasons to be reading about them I was expecting ro have to verify I was old enough.

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