Concerns Rise Over Censorship Following New Online Safety Law

Users in the UK have reported being unable to access content related to recent anti-mass transition protests on social media platforms following the implementation of the government’s online safety legislation.

This law, introduced by the previous Conservative government, has drawn criticism for potentially infringing on free speech. Detractors have warned that it could stifle political conversations, initially aimed at protecting children from explicit content online.

After the law took effect, many British users shared screenshots showing messages from the platform, indicating restrictions on viewing protest footage. This was notably tied to an incident in which a 14-year-old girl was assaulted in a hotel in Epping funded by taxpayers.

One user reported receiving a notice stating, “Due to local law, we are temporarily restricting access to this content until X verifies your age,” when attempting to view protest footage that included violent scenes.

Prior to the law’s enforcement, the platform indicated it would utilize methods like estimating users’ ages based on email address verification, cross-referencing these with banks and utility companies. Reports suggest this has now expanded to also restrict access to protest-related videos.

The penalties for platforms failing to comply with these regulations can reach up to £18 million or 10% of their global sales, which may prompt social media companies to be overly cautious regarding user content.

Although Musk has not specifically commented on the restrictions affecting protest footage on the platform, he did express concerns that the online safety law aims to “control people.”

The UK’s Free Speech Union responded to the law, emphasizing their worries about censorship on the very first day of its enactment. They noted that standard accounts in the UK, which likely encompass most users, can’t access footage depicting violent protests or arrests.

Furthermore, an online petition calling for the repeal of the Online Safety Act has garnered over 160,000 signatures, pressing Parliament to address these concerns. In a related trend, searches for VPNs surged more than 700% in the UK on Friday as users sought ways to bypass the new restrictions.