The implementation of a new law to protect the online safety of children in the UK has caught criticism from digital rights activist groups, politicians, free-speech campaigners, tech companies, content creators, digital rights advocacy groups, and others. The Online Safety Act (OSA) came into effect on July 25th. The legislation aims to protect children from accessing harmful content on the internet. Why problematic?
Safe internet for kids?
However, the act also poses potential privacy risks. Certain provisions of the act require companies behind websites in the UK to prevent users under 18 from accessing dangerous content such as pornography and content related to eating disorders, self-harm, or worse- suicide. The act also mandates companies to give minors age-appropriate access to other types of material concerning abusive or hateful, and bullying content.
Tech companies’ role
In compliance with the OSA provisions, platforms have enforced age authentication steps to verify the ages of users on their sites or apps. These include platforms like X, Discord, Bluesky, and Reddit; porn besides such as YouPorn and Pornhub, and music streaming services like Spotify, which also require users to provide face scans to view explicit content.
As a result, VPN companies have experienced a major surge in VPN subscriptions in the UK over the past few
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