I'm now getting customers asking me how they can make their business #OnlineSafetyAct (UK) compliant.
These are small businesses who don't have any kind of forum or customer to customer (user to user) interaction. Grrr.
Recent searches
Search options
#onlinesafetyact
19 posts13 participants0 posts today
Thanks to the risks and burdens imposed by the preposterously draconian blunt instrument that is the #OnlineSafetyAct (UK) of 2023, I've just unceremoniously closed down a collaborative website I've operated for almost exactly 27 years.
Continued thread
There's still time to put pressure on the UK government.
The UK Secretary of State has the power to exempt small, safely moderated websites from the Online Safety duties.
We need urgent change to protect net plurality, rather than further consolidating power in monopoly platforms. We need competition for a safer Internet.
Write to your MP (UK) #SaveOurSites 
https://action.openrightsgroup.org/save-our-sites-write-your-mp
Open Rights GroupSave our sites - Write to your MPSmall UK websites, user-to-user services and even computer games that are completely safe and well managed, are faced with difficult paperwork, risks assessments, registration and fines thanks to the Online Safety Act. Even personal blogs with comments are forced to undergo these difficult tests and compliance tasks. Getting it wrong or ignoring them could cost an operator their house – as fines can be imposed for failing to do them. As a result, many small websites in the UK are deciding to close down.
The UK Online Safety Act comes into effect today.
Its onerous duties may cause many small sites, blogs and fedi instances to shut down or geoblock UK users when faced with potential fines and penalties.
This won't keep children safe. It'll benefit large platforms like Facebook and X that are laying waste to content moderation.
The Register · It's not just Big Tech: The UK's Online Safety Act applies across the board
Ofcom’s risk assessment deadline has passed, and online platforms must now take action to protect users from illegal content and activity occurring on their platforms. Significant fines await those who fail.
https://www.computing.co.uk/news-analysis/2025/new-online-safety-act-measures-come-into-force
www.computing.co.ukNew Online Safety Act measures come into forceOfcom’s risk assessment deadline has passed, and online platforms must now take action to protect users from illegal content and activity occurring on their platforms. ...
Shut vile death video site, families say, as Ofcom gets new powers
...
From Monday, Ofcom gets new powers to crack down on illegal content, but it may not be enough to close the site.
Ofcom has no powers to "shut" or "close" sites.
At most, it can seek an order from a court to compel ISPs on the UK to attempt to block access (which probably means abusing DNS).
And from the summer all sites must have robust age verification systems to prevent children accessing a range of content.
No, they don't.
Bravo, BBC. Another excellent job reporting the facts there.
BBC NewsShut vile death video site, families say, as Ofcom gets new powersFamilies want a website showing deaths of their loved ones to be taken down, as the online regulator gets new powers.
I spent a good chunk of my weekend helping people running tiny, low risk, online services complete paperwork about the UK’s Online Safety Act, for zero discernible benefit.
So it is a bit galling that the main headline on the BBC this morning is about the government wanting to “slash red tape”.
I have spent one heck of a lot of time on the OSA, trying to help others with its burden, and it just seems so utterly unnecessary.
Continued thread
When it comes to blogs, Ofcom says one thing, the UK Online Safety Act says another.
This lack of clarity over whether blogs with comments are exempt will push small sites to shut down completely.
We need the UK government to tighten up the definitions and exemptions in the Act.
Read our explainer for more detail 
https://www.openrightsgroup.org/blog/save-our-sites-deadline-17-march/
Open Rights GroupSave our Sites: Deadline 17 MarchIncredible as it may seem, thanks to the Online Safety Act, dozens of harmless, safe, small websites are closing down by 17 March, rather than face threats of fines that could lose their operators their homes.
Continued thread
Under the UK Online Safety Act, small blogs, forums and fedi instances are faced with disproportionate requirements to:
️ Check if they have UK users
️ Do a risk assessment on whether kids might access the content, or if CSAM or terrorist material might be posted in the comments
️ Put themselves at the risk of fines, and even prison sentences, if they fail to comply with Ofcom’s future directives
The UK Online Safety Act burdens small sites with duties and penalties that they can't shoulder. They'll shut down instead, stripping us of net plurality.
There’s a simple solution:
Exempt small, safely run blogs, forums and fedi instances The government can do this now
The duties start TOMORROW – Write to your MP 
https://action.openrightsgroup.org/save-our-sites-write-your-mp
Open Rights GroupSave our sites - Write to your MPSmall UK websites, user-to-user services and even computer games that are completely safe and well managed, are faced with difficult paperwork, risks assessments, registration and fines thanks to the Online Safety Act. Even personal blogs with comments are forced to undergo these difficult tests and compliance tasks. Getting it wrong or ignoring them could cost an operator their house – as fines can be imposed for failing to do them. As a result, many small websites in the UK are deciding to close down.
Saddling small sites with the same duties as huge platforms means many will shut down in a hammer blow to net plurality.
We'll be left with the Sophie’s choice of monopoly services; the incubators of online harms.
URGENT: The UK government must change the Online Safety Act to protect safe, non-commercial blogs, forums and fediverse.
Write to your MP to #SaveOurSites
https://action.openrightsgroup.org/save-our-sites-write-your-mp
Open Rights GroupSave our sites - Write to your MPSmall UK websites, user-to-user services and even computer games that are completely safe and well managed, are faced with difficult paperwork, risks assessments, registration and fines thanks to the Online Safety Act. Even personal blogs with comments are forced to undergo these difficult tests and compliance tasks. Getting it wrong or ignoring them could cost an operator their house – as fines can be imposed for failing to do them. As a result, many small websites in the UK are deciding to close down.
404 
Blogs, forums and fedi instances are facing burdensome duties and penalties imposed by the UK #OnlineSafetyAct.
Despite being small and safely moderated, the Act sweeps them up into the same regime as platforms like Facebook and X. This is overkill, resulting in many shutting down or blocking UK users.
With the duties going live on 17 March, urgent action is required to exempt small sites.
Act NOW to #SaveOurSites
https://action.openrightsgroup.org/save-our-sites-write-your-mp
Open Rights GroupSave our sites - Write to your MPSmall UK websites, user-to-user services and even computer games that are completely safe and well managed, are faced with difficult paperwork, risks assessments, registration and fines thanks to the Online Safety Act. Even personal blogs with comments are forced to undergo these difficult tests and compliance tasks. Getting it wrong or ignoring them could cost an operator their house – as fines can be imposed for failing to do them. As a result, many small websites in the UK are deciding to close down.
Will the last small site turn off the lights?
The UK Online Safety Act imposes the same duties and penalties on blogs, forums and fedi instances as huge platforms.
Many small, safely moderated sites will shut down or block UK users.
Crushing competition is the last thing we need for a safer Internet!
Act now before 17 March
https://action.openrightsgroup.org/save-our-sites-write-your-mp
Open Rights GroupSave our sites - Write to your MPSmall UK websites, user-to-user services and even computer games that are completely safe and well managed, are faced with difficult paperwork, risks assessments, registration and fines thanks to the Online Safety Act. Even personal blogs with comments are forced to undergo these difficult tests and compliance tasks. Getting it wrong or ignoring them could cost an operator their house – as fines can be imposed for failing to do them. As a result, many small websites in the UK are deciding to close down.
Continued thread
The UK government must tighten up the definitions and exemptions in the Online Safety Act to avoid the loss of safe spaces online.
The Secretary of State has the power to change the categorisation of sites NOW.
Write to your MP to exempt small and harmless sites BEFORE 17 March
https://action.openrightsgroup.org/save-our-sites-write-your-mp
Open Rights GroupSave our sites - Write to your MPSmall UK websites, user-to-user services and even computer games that are completely safe and well managed, are faced with difficult paperwork, risks assessments, registration and fines thanks to the Online Safety Act. Even personal blogs with comments are forced to undergo these difficult tests and compliance tasks. Getting it wrong or ignoring them could cost an operator their house – as fines can be imposed for failing to do them. As a result, many small websites in the UK are deciding to close down.
Continued thread
Are blogs exempt?
While Ofcom suggests they are, the UK Online Safety Act is far from certain.
The result is that small scale, non-commercial blogs will simply shutter the window.
This will push users from safely moderated sites onto services like Facebook and X – the fountainhead of online harms.
Protect Net Plurality! 
Broad brush duties under the UK Online Safety Act threaten any website with possible penalties.
Small, safe sites can't shoulder this burden. We'll see the lights going out on blogs, Fedi instances and forums from 17 March with a devastating impact for online communities.
The Fediverse is under attack!
We must #SaveOurSites
https://www.openrightsgroup.org/blog/save-our-sites-deadline-17-march/
Open Rights GroupSave our Sites: Deadline 17 MarchIncredible as it may seem, thanks to the Online Safety Act, dozens of harmless, safe, small websites are closing down by 17 March, rather than face threats of fines that could lose their operators their homes.
The USA sees the UK's Online Safety Act 2023, and its purported extra-territorial effect, as a threat to freedom of expression as enshrined in the US constitution.
Who'd have thought?!
Continued thread
The solution to bad technology isn’t naive anti-technology reaction or “think of the children!” moral panic like the #OnlineSafetyAct. It is careful, smart, well targeted action against big technology players who create the bad stuff, and creating better, more human scale technology that’s not reliant on surveillance and big corporate nonsense and infinite growth ponzi economics.
But good luck fitting that into an op-ed column or a Newsnight soundbite.
@openrightsgroup have started a campaign to protect low-risk small-scale sites, and have a very easy-to-use tool to help you write to your MP to express your concern about the impending implementation of Ofcom's illegal harms code of practice. It will take less than 5 minutes to do.
If you are affected as a user or a site operator, you can use the template here to write to your MP.
https://action.openrightsgroup.org/save-our-sites-write-your-mp
Open Rights GroupSave our sites - Write to your MPSmall UK websites, user-to-user services and even computer games that are completely safe and well managed, are faced with difficult paperwork, risks assessments, registration and fines thanks to the Online Safety Act. Even personal blogs with comments are forced to undergo these difficult tests and compliance tasks. Getting it wrong or ignoring them could cost an operator their house – as fines can be imposed for failing to do them. As a result, many small websites in the UK are deciding to close down.
If you are in the UK, you should already / should soon see "age assurance" tools restricting your access to porn sites.
Are you be willing to give a porn site / random third party service sufficient documentation or information to verify your age?
(For the sake of argument, let's agree that, yes, this will be circumventable trivially, even for many sites which bother to comply,, but that's not the point of this.)