UK Online Safety Act (OSA)
From July 25, all companies that come under the scope of this act must introduce measures to protect children and those under the age of 18 in the UK. This means age verification using facial age estimation, driver’s license, bank details, passport, and other such IDs, which would be carried out by third-party software companies. The Act is designed to protect children from accessing harmful and age-inappropriate content online, the idea of which is laudable. However, its implementation appears to be fraught with problems, not least with what is currently being flagged as inappropriate. Content such as the war in Ukraine, the situation in Gaza, parliamentary debates on grooming gangs, and many street protests in the UK, to name just a small sample of content that is now difficult to access in the UK.
Sixteen year olds will be given the right to vote in all UK elections as part of seismic changes to modernise UK democracy
There’s no doubt that youngsters are glued to their phones. I know this from experience, yet I’ve also asked myself – what about parental controls? Is it the government’s role to arbitrate on what we should see online? The fact is that this Act impacts UK adults too and will ultimately stifle debate and opinion. And let’s not forget that Russia implemented similar measures in 2012, as did Turkey some years later, and these were later weaponised to deter dissent. If a sixteen-year-old can vote in elections, yet is denied access to vital information in order to form an opinion, this is when the Act becomes completely counterproductive.
Uncomfortable facts of public interest are being suppressed…
The UK Surge In VPN Demand
Some VPN (Virtual Private Network) companies are reporting demand of over 1500%, where users can appear to be in another country that isn’t the UK. This has even led to some Internet chatter about banning VPNs in the UK, the practicality of which would be like pulling teeth. I try to keep up with what’s happening in my home country, but frankly, the buzz that I’m getting is pretty grim, especially since the prime minister’s popularity is now at an all-time low, social media ‘harassment’ seems to take precedent over national security, anti-migrant protests are more frequent and other more serious matters.
This entire Act smacks of censorship, privacy violation, and control, with media companies seemingly confused over what is appropriate for children and what isn’t. As I’ve mentioned, its concept to protect children should be applauded; however, its implementation leaves much to be desired.
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