European Online Safety Act: Difference between revisions
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== Overview == | ==Overview== | ||
The | The United Kingdom's Online Safety Act 2023 is an act passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom (UK). The act provides the government with the ability to both suppress and/or record online content that the UK government deems harmful to children. The UK government states that as of March 2025, platforms are required to use age verification technology to prevent underage users from being exposed to adult content such as pornography, hateful content, or content which encourages suicide, self harm, or eating disorders<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-07-24 |title=Online Safety Act |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/online-safety-act |url-status=live |website=gov.uk}}</ref>. There have been criticisms that the act is likely to affect both children and adults in a negative manner, particularly the outsourcing of age verification to third-party services, such as private corporations, which require either biometric scans or uploads of official government issued ID's. Confidentiality is not guaranteed in these third-party services' TOS, alongside this, malicious sites may easily be created to collect such information under the guise of 'age-verification', with users less likely to protect their private information as they become more comfortable with the notion of submitting it to many different websites and services. | ||
(This is re-edition of the contents displayed in [https://fightchatcontrol.eu/ fightchatcontrol.eu]) | (This is re-edition of the contents displayed in [https://fightchatcontrol.eu/ fightchatcontrol.eu]) | ||
==How it works== | ==How it works== | ||
===<u> | ===1. <u>UK Online Safety Act (OSA)</u>=== | ||
See [[Implementation of the UK Online Safety Act]]. | |||
*'''Age Verification Enforcement:''' The OSA Requires online platforms to require age verification for users attempting to access specific types of content. Frequently, the verification process is outsourced to third-party companies. These companies may request sensitive personal and biometric information—including facial scans, identity documents, and financial data. | *'''Age Verification Enforcement:''' The OSA Requires online platforms to require age verification for users attempting to access specific types of content. Frequently, the verification process is outsourced to third-party companies. These companies may request sensitive personal and biometric information—including facial scans, identity documents, and financial data. | ||
*'''Privacy Risks:''' The absence of a public registry or certification standard for age verification providers means there is significant potential for misuse or mishandling of user data. Many providers operate overseas with limited regulation and weak data protection practices, creating major privacy vulnerabilities. | *'''Privacy Risks:''' The absence of a public registry or certification standard for age verification providers means there is significant potential for misuse or mishandling of user data. Many providers operate overseas with limited regulation and weak data protection practices, creating major privacy vulnerabilities. | ||
*'''Impact on Users:''' U.K Citizens have had to provide private details where they previously didn't to use social media platforms or dating apps. | *'''Impact on Users:''' U.K Citizens have had to provide private details where they previously didn't to use social media platforms or dating apps. | ||
*'''Surveillance and Content Moderation:''' The OSA expands monitoring of users of various social media platforms, requiring platforms to scan encrypted messages for illegal content. | *'''Surveillance and Content Moderation:''' The OSA expands monitoring of users of various social media platforms, requiring platforms to scan encrypted messages for illegal content. These requirements could technically compromise privacy and security. | ||
*'''Free Expression:''' Stringent moderation and age-gating may restrict information access for all users (including adults who refuse to submit sensitive data). These measures risk self-censorship and suppressing open debate, even affecting democratic participation when the act obliges "democratically important" content to not be removed. | *'''Free Expression:''' Stringent moderation and age-gating may restrict information access for all users (including adults who refuse to submit sensitive data). These measures risk self-censorship and suppressing open debate, even affecting democratic participation when the act obliges "democratically important" content to not be removed. | ||
===<u> | ===2. <u>EU Digital Services Act (DSA)</u>=== | ||
*'''Child Safety Provisions:''' The DSA requires platforms serving minors to implement robust, privacy-focused safeguards—like age verification or estimation. The European Commission recommends “safety and privacy by design,” but these are guidelines rather than strict rules. | *'''Child Safety Provisions:''' The DSA requires platforms serving minors to implement robust, privacy-focused safeguards—like age verification or estimation. The European Commission recommends “safety and privacy by design,” but these are guidelines rather than strict rules. | ||
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*'''Practical Examples:''' Actual cases, such as the prosecution of Finnish parliamentarian Päivi Räsänen, show how national regulations can be invoked to suppress legitimate political or religious speech across borders. | *'''Practical Examples:''' Actual cases, such as the prosecution of Finnish parliamentarian Päivi Räsänen, show how national regulations can be invoked to suppress legitimate political or religious speech across borders. | ||
== | ==Pointed criticisms of the Act== | ||
==== | ====Mass Surveillance==== | ||
Every private message, photo, and file scanned automatically: no suspicion required, no exceptions*, even encrypted communications.<blockquote><small>*EU politicians exempt themselves from this surveillance under "professional secrecy" rules. They get privacy. You and your family do not. Demand fairness.</small></blockquote> | Every private message, photo, and file scanned automatically: no suspicion required, no exceptions*, even encrypted communications.<blockquote><small>*EU politicians exempt themselves from this surveillance under "professional secrecy" rules. They get privacy. You and your family do not. Demand fairness.</small></blockquote> | ||
==== | ====Breaking Encryption==== | ||
Weakening or breaking end-to-end encryption exposes everyone’s communications—including sensitive financial, medical, and private data—to hackers, criminals, and hostile actors. | Weakening or breaking end-to-end encryption exposes everyone’s communications—including sensitive financial, medical, and private data—to hackers, criminals, and hostile actors. | ||
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===<u>Key Campaigns & Movements</u>=== | ===<u>Key Campaigns & Movements</u>=== | ||
===== | =====Fightchatcontrol.EU===== | ||
A leading citizen-driven campaign against the EU's "Chat Control" legislation, Fightchatcontrol.eu <ref>{{Cite web |title=Fight Chat Control: About |url=https://fightchatcontrol.eu/about}}</ref> tracks Member States' stances, shares news, provides tools to email EU representatives, and highlights privacy dangers—including mass scanning of all private digital communications (even encrypted ones) and the threat to fundamental rights under the EU Charter . The platform explicitly states its mission is to protect privacy and digital security and empower individuals to oppose these laws. The movement is widely referenced in online communities, such as ''/r/ireland,'' for its clear mapping of EU member positions and practical activism risks <ref>{{Cite web |title=A Danish programmer built a website to highlight every single EU members stance on the new mass surveillance tool Chat Control 2.0 and its implications for you as a citizen in the European Union |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/ireland/comments/1mnkecx/a_danish_programmer_built_a_website_to_highlight/}}</ref>. | A leading citizen-driven campaign against the EU's "Chat Control" legislation, Fightchatcontrol.eu <ref>{{Cite web |title=Fight Chat Control: About |url=https://fightchatcontrol.eu/about}}</ref> tracks Member States' stances, shares news, provides tools to email EU representatives, and highlights privacy dangers—including mass scanning of all private digital communications (even encrypted ones) and the threat to fundamental rights under the EU Charter . The platform explicitly states its mission is to protect privacy and digital security and empower individuals to oppose these laws. The movement is widely referenced in online communities, such as ''/r/ireland,'' for its clear mapping of EU member positions and practical activism risks <ref>{{Cite web |title=A Danish programmer built a website to highlight every single EU members stance on the new mass surveillance tool Chat Control 2.0 and its implications for you as a citizen in the European Union |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/ireland/comments/1mnkecx/a_danish_programmer_built_a_website_to_highlight/}}</ref>. | ||
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On the other hand, The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) argues the Act fails child protection while threatening privacy and restricting free expression—recent weeks have seen VPN downloads spike in response to the law, with public petitions against it amassing hundreds of thousands of signatures <ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |title=No, the UK’s Online Safety Act Doesn’t Make Children Safer Online |url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/08/no-uks-online-safety-act-doesnt-make-children-safer-online |journal=eff.org}}</ref> | On the other hand, The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) argues the Act fails child protection while threatening privacy and restricting free expression—recent weeks have seen VPN downloads spike in response to the law, with public petitions against it amassing hundreds of thousands of signatures <ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |title=No, the UK’s Online Safety Act Doesn’t Make Children Safer Online |url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/08/no-uks-online-safety-act-doesnt-make-children-safer-online |journal=eff.org}}</ref> | ||
Lastly, The Wikimedia Foundation (operator of Wikipedia) challenged aspects of the Online Safety Act in UK courts <ref>{{Cite web |title=Wikimedia Foundation Challenges UK Online Safety Act Regulations |url=https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2025/08/11/wikimedia-foundation-challenges-uk-online-safety-act-regulations/}}</ref>, warning that it forces platforms to violate their own privacy commitments and risks eroding internet freedom. Although their recent challenge failed <ref>{{Cite news |title=Wikipedia loses challenge to UK Online Safety Act |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/wikipedia-loses-challenge-to-uk-online-safety-act/}}</ref>, it highlights deep dissent among global online communities, . | Lastly, The [[Wikimedia Foundation]] (operator of Wikipedia) challenged aspects of the Online Safety Act in UK courts <ref>{{Cite web |title=Wikimedia Foundation Challenges UK Online Safety Act Regulations |url=https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2025/08/11/wikimedia-foundation-challenges-uk-online-safety-act-regulations/}}</ref>, warning that it forces platforms to violate their own privacy commitments and risks eroding internet freedom. Although their recent challenge failed <ref>{{Cite news |last=Clifton |first=Mizy |date=August 11, 2025 |title=Wikipedia loses challenge to UK Online Safety Act |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/wikipedia-loses-challenge-to-uk-online-safety-act/ |work=Politico}}</ref>, it highlights deep dissent among global online communities, . | ||
===<u>Prominent Articles and Reports</u>=== | ===<u>Prominent Articles and Reports</u>=== | ||
==== | ====Aardwolf Security: Privacy Nightmare <ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=UK Age Verification: The Online Safety Act’s Privacy Nightmare |url=https://aardwolfsecurity.com/uk-age-verification-the-online-safety-acts-privacy-nightmare/}}</ref>==== | ||
Details how age verification under the UK’s OSA requires millions of adults to share facial scans or ID documents with third-party firms. Experts warn this creates massive biometric and ID databases vulnerable to hacks, calling them “honeypots for cybercriminals,” and stating that breached biometric data can never truly be changed, exposing people to lifelong privacy. | Details how age verification under the UK’s OSA requires millions of adults to share facial scans or ID documents with third-party firms. Experts warn this creates massive biometric and ID databases vulnerable to hacks, calling them “honeypots for cybercriminals,” and stating that breached biometric data can never truly be changed, exposing people to lifelong privacy. | ||
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Reuters and other news outlets highlight the risk to free speech, with platforms like X warning about indiscriminate censorship and loss of safe online spaces. | Reuters and other news outlets highlight the risk to free speech, with platforms like X warning about indiscriminate censorship and loss of safe online spaces. | ||
=== | ===Core Privacy Problems and Loss of Online Anonymity=== | ||
*Compulsory use of government IDs, biometrics, and facial recognition destroys basic online anonymity—users are permanently linked to every activity, risking exposure and discrimination <ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />. | *Compulsory use of government IDs, biometrics, and facial recognition destroys basic online anonymity—users are permanently linked to every activity, risking exposure and discrimination <ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />. | ||
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*Age-gating and content moderation force many smaller sites to shut down and chill participation in support, activist, and political communities, especially those depending on anonymity for safety <ref name=":2" /> | *Age-gating and content moderation force many smaller sites to shut down and chill participation in support, activist, and political communities, especially those depending on anonymity for safety <ref name=":2" /> | ||
=== | ===Free Speech and Internet Values=== | ||
The point of contention is that through restricting anonymous communication, the Act undermines foundational principles of the internet: free speech, open debate, and the right to dissent without fear of retaliation <ref name=":3" /><ref name=":0" />. Ambiguous definitions of “harmful” content, coupled with automated scanning systems, risk fostering over-censorship and generating false accusations that can silence legitimate expression and political activism <ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=Fight Chat Control |url=https://fightchatcontrol.eu/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Online Safety Act Has Nothing to Do With Child Safety and Everything to Do With Censorship |url=https://novaramedia.com/2025/08/07/the-online-safety-act-has-nothing-to-do-with-child-safety-and-everything-to-do-with-censorship/}}</ref>. The move toward large-scale surveillance not only could threaten civil liberties within Europe and sets a troubling global precedent, with EU and UK regulations potentially inspiring authoritarian regimes to adopt similar measures that curtail free speech worldwide <ref name=":4" />. | |||
==Useful sites== | ==Useful sites== | ||