Latest news with #FreeSpeech
Sky News
6 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Make 'significant adjustments' to Online Safety Act, X urges govt
Why you can trust Sky News The Online Safety Act is putting free speech at risk and needs significant adjustments, Elon Musk's social network X has warned. New rules that came into force last week require platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and X - as well as sites hosting pornography - to bring in measures to prove that someone using them is over the age of 18. The Online Safety Act requires sites to protect children and to remove illegal content, but critics have said that the rules have been implemented too broadly, resulting in the censorship of legal content. X has warned the act's laudable intentions were "at risk of being overshadowed by the breadth of its regulatory reach". It said: "When lawmakers approved these measures, they made a conscientious decision to increase censorship in the name of 'online safety'. "It is fair to ask if UK citizens were equally aware of the trade-off being made." 3:53 X claims the timetable for platforms to meet mandatory measures had been unnecessarily tight - and despite complying, sites still faced threats of enforcement and fines, "encouraging over-censorship". "A balanced approach is the only way to protect individual liberties, encourage innovation and safeguard children. It's safe to say that significant changes must take place to achieve these objectives in the UK," it said. A UK government spokesperson said it is "demonstrably false" that the Online Safety Act compromises free speech. "As well as legal duties to keep children safe, the very same law places clear and unequivocal duties on platforms to protect freedom of expression," they added. Users have complained about age checks that require personal data to be uploaded to access sites that show pornography, and 468,000 people have already signed a petition asking for the new law to be repealed. In response to the petition, the government said it had "no plans" to reverse the Online Safety Act. 5:23 Reform UK's leader Nigel Farage likened the new rules to "state suppression of genuine free speech" and said his party would ditch the regulations. Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said on Tuesday that those who wanted to overturn the act were "on the side of predators" - to which Mr Farage demanded an apology, calling Mr Kyle's comments "absolutely disgusting". Regulator Ofcom said on Thursday it had launched an investigation into how four companies - that collectively run 34 pornography sites - are complying with new age-check requirements. These companies - 8579 LLC, AVS Group Ltd, Kick Online Entertainment S.A. and Trendio Ltd - run dozens of sites, and collectively have more than nine million unique monthly UK visitors, the internet watchdog said. The regulator said it prioritised the companies based on the risk of harm posed by the services they operated and their user numbers. It adds to the 11 investigations already in progress into 4chan, as well as an unnamed online suicide forum, seven file-sharing services, and two adult websites.
Malay Mail
7 days ago
- Business
- Malay Mail
UK defends online safety law after X slams ‘heavy-handed' censorship risk
LONDON, Aug 3 — The UK government yesterday defended a new online safety law following harsh criticism from social network X, saying it was 'demonstrably false' that it 'compromises free speech'. Under the law, which took effect on July 25, online platforms must take steps to prevent children accessing harmful content such as pornography. But X said Friday that 'the act's laudable intentions are at risk of being overshadowed by the breadth of its regulatory reach. 'Without a more balanced, collaborative approach, free speech will suffer,' added the platform, formerly known as Twitter, saying regulators had taken a 'heavy-handed approach'. 'When lawmakers approved these measures, they made a conscientious decision to increase censorship in the name of 'online safety',' added the platform, owned by billionaire Elon Musk. The government countered that it was 'demonstrably false that the Online Safety Act compromises free speech. 'As well as legal duties to keep children safe, the very same law places clear and unequivocal duties on platforms to protect freedom of expression,' said a spokesperson. The law 'does not require platforms to age gate any content other than those which present the most serious risks to children such as pornography or suicide and self-harm content,' said the government, adding 'platforms have had several months to prepare'. In the event of non-compliance, platforms are liable to fines of up to £18 million (RM103 million), or 10 percent of their global turnover, whichever is higher. — AFP
RNZ News
7 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
UK defends new online safety law after criticism
Under the new UK law, online platforms must take steps to prevent children accessing harmful content. Photo: 123RF The UK government on Saturday defended a new online safety law following harsh criticism from social network X, saying it was "demonstrably false" that it "compromises free speech". Under the law, which took effect on 25 July, online platforms must take steps to prevent children accessing harmful content such as pornography. But X said Friday that "the act's laudable intentions are at risk of being overshadowed by the breadth of its regulatory reach". "Without a more balanced, collaborative approach, free speech will suffer," added the platform, formerly known as Twitter, saying regulators had taken a "heavy-handed approach". "When lawmakers approved these measures, they made a conscientious decision to increase censorship in the name of 'online safety'," added the platform, owned by billionaire Elon Musk. The government countered that it was "demonstrably false that the Online Safety Act compromises free speech". "As well as legal duties to keep children safe, the very same law places clear and unequivocal duties on platforms to protect freedom of expression," said a spokesperson. The law "does not require platforms to age gate any content other than those which present the most serious risks to children such as pornography or suicide and self-harm content", said the government, adding "platforms have had several months to prepare". In the event of non-compliance, platforms are liable to fines of up to £18 million (NZ$40m), or 10 percent of their global turnover, whichever is higher. - AFP
South China Morning Post
02-08-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
UK defends Online Safety Act after X claims it threatens free speech
The British government defended the Online Safety Act after US tech billionaire Elon Musk's X said the legislation was threatening free speech. In a post titled What Happens When Oversight Becomes Overreach, the platform, formerly known as Twitter, outlined criticism of the act and the 'heavy-handed' UK regulators. The government countered that it is 'demonstrably false' that the Online Safety Act compromises free speech and said it is not designed to censor political debate. Under rules that came into effect on July 25, online platforms must take steps to prevent children accessing harmful content such as pornography or material that encourages suicide. This includes a new duty for online providers to reduce the risk that users encounter illegal content as well as age verification measures in the UK to access pornographic content. 'As a result, the act's laudable intentions are at risk of being overshadowed by the breadth of its regulatory reach. Without a more balanced, collaborative approach, free speech will suffer,' X said.
Daily Mail
02-08-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Elon Musk's X says Online Safety Act that requires users to provide ID to show they are over 18 is 'putting free speech at risk'
Elon Musk 's X has warned that the Online Safety Act, which requires users to prove their age, is 'putting free speech at risk'. The new rules, seen by watchdogs as a way to protect children online, have sparked a furious backlash from thousands of users. The act forces platforms like Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and X, along with sites hosting pornography, to implement strict age verification measures to prove users are over 18. But critics are outraged, arguing that age checks are blocking access to large parts of the internet that have no business being grouped with adult content. To use platforms like X, users must surrender personal details such as credit card information, ID, or even facial scans, leading many to bypass the system altogether. X has now joined the chorus of criticism, warning that unless the act is amended to be more 'balanced', 'free speech will suffer'. The uproar has already seen nearly half a million people signing a petition demanding the act be scrapped as the n umber of users searches for VPN surged since the changes came into force. But a government spokesperson has dismissed these concerns, calling the claim that the law compromises free speech as 'demonstrably false,' insisting that it is 'not designed to censor political debate'. Critics argue that age checks are blocking access to large parts of the internet that have no business being grouped with adult content The dispute reached a fever pitch earlier this week when a senior Labour minister accused Reform's Nigel Farage of aligning with 'sick paedophiles' like Jimmy Savile during the ongoing clash over the law. Technology Secretary Peter Kyle went even further, accusing Farage of siding with 'extreme pornographers' over Reform UK's vow to scrap the act. Mr Farage labelled the comments 'disgusting' and demanded an apology, however Mr Kyle later doubled down on his remarks. Now X has joined the list of critics, saying: 'When lawmakers approved these measures, they made a conscientious decision to increase censorship in the name of 'online safety.' 'It is fair to ask if UK citizens were equally aware of the trade-off being made.' The platform claims the timeframe in which they were given to meet mandatory measures had been unnecessarily tight - and despite complying, sites still faced threats of enforcement and fines, 'encouraging over-censorship'. Adding: 'A balanced approach is the only way to protect individual liberties, encourage innovation and safeguard children. 'It's safe to say that significant changes must take place to achieve these objectives in the UK.' Peter Kyle also accused the Reform UK leader Nigel Farage of being on the side of 'extreme pornographers' over the party's pledge to scrap the Online Safety Act Critics including Mr Farage claim that the law is being used to stifle free speech by blocking people from seeing some controversial political statements online Nearly half a million people have signed a petition against the Online Safety Act Ofcom said this week it had launched investigations into 34 pornography sites for new age-check requirements. It comes as Spotify users were left furious after they were told their accounts were at risk of being deleted if they fail to verify their age when trying to access videos marked 18+, with some urging users to stop using it. One user questioned: 'How old do you have to be to listen to music?', while another declared: 'I think I'm deleting payments to any company that ever sends me something like this.' Previously, campaign group, Big Brother Watch, also warned of the 'catastrophic effect on free speech online' that the Ofcom legislation could have with 'intrusive new age checks to access a range of websites'. Xbox have also followed suit, announcing they too will be investing in technologies and tools to ensure players have age-appropriate experiences on their platform, while sending notifications to UK users to verify their age. A Government spokesperson said: 'It is demonstrably false that the Online Safety Act compromises free speech. 'As well as legal duties to keep children safe, the very same law places clear and unequivocal duties on platforms to protect freedom of expression. Failure to meet either obligation can lead to severe penalties, including fines of up to 10% of global revenue or £18 million, whichever is greater. 'The Act is not designed to censor political debate and does not require platforms to age gate any content other than those which present the most serious risks to children such as pornography or suicide and self-harm content. 'Platforms have had several months to prepare for this law. It is a disservice to their users to hide behind deadlines as an excuse for failing to properly implement it.'
