Online Safety Act (UK)

wobs

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wobs
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Another forum I go on is closing down in March owing to the Online Safety Act. Its a small forum, with some great people on it.

However, with the below regs coming in, they would have to carry out an extensive risk assessment regarding protecting children and adults online. Said forum is in no way a threat to anyone, and it small size makes such a large risk assessment unviable.

I don't know how this will affect this forum, but forums in general could be at risk. This is a great shame, as they are one of the few positive things about social media. Unlike the like of Facebook etc, have been shown to be a benefit to people.


It appears the law is an ass.
 
The OfCom guidelines list these kinds of content as needing to be assessed:
1. Terrorism 2. Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (CSEA) a. Grooming b. Image-based Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) c. CSAM URLs 3. Hate 4. Harassment, stalking, threats and abuse 5. Controlling or coercive behaviour 6. Intimate image abuse 7. Extreme pornography 8. Sexual exploitation of adults 9. Human trafficking 10.Unlawful immigration 11. Fraud and financial offences 12.Proceeds of crime 13.Drugs and psychoactive substances 14. Firearms, knives and other weapons 15.Encouraging or assisting suicide 16. Foreign interference 17.Animal cruelty
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What kind of forum were you on, where checking for the presence of these things is such an onerous task as to be "unviable"? If we consider this forum, it's a quick case of "no", "no", "no" etc, and send the form in.
 
Just a small environmental forum. It appears the owner looked at this, and considered it too onerous.
 
wobs said:
Just a small environmental forum. It appears the owner looked at this, and considered it too onerous.
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That's really strange - suggest you have a word with them, it really isn't onerous for forums like us.
 
Does this mean I can't start a thread about knives? Or is it only encouraging people to use knives? How about best practices in chopping vegetables?
Swords?
 
Carrot Flower King said:
Which has absolutely naff all to do with the Online Safety Act...
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That Act is clearly about government minders policing speech. It's pretty much the definition of tyranny, as all tyrants issue lots of laws which people can easily run afoul of. If a web forum, provider, or other site becomes politicaly disfavored, the UK government, under this Act, can easily find something with which to sanction/arrest/penalize. Show me the man and I'll show you the crime, as Beria would say.
 
Last edited:
Trausti said:
That Act is clearly about government minders policing speech. It's pretty much the definition of tyranny, as all tyrants issue lots of laws which people can easily run afoul of. If a web forum, provider, or other site becomes politicaly disfavored, the UK government, under this Act, can easily find something with which to sanction/arrest/penalize. Show me the man and I'll show you the crime, as Beria would say.
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Sigh. No it's not, you're lying again.
 
catsmate said:
Sigh. No it's not, you're lying again.
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Huh. Okay. Define "hate." Define "terrorism." Do you want a government minder defining it for you? And, oh, under this Act, the site owner must keep records of every assessment or else. I'd note that on this forum people openly mock God and religion. Is that hateful? Do you want a government commissar making that decision?
 
Carrot Flower King said:
Which has what to do with referring to Trump as " rapist in chief"? Which is where this started.

That one is defensible under our libel laws, thanks to certain US-ian court rulings.
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It's factually untrue. Indeed, it might be harrassment. Let the government commissar decide if you've committed a crime.
 
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