<
https://www.techdirt.com/2024/12/20/death-of-a-forum-how-the-uks-online-safety-act-is-killing-communities/>
"We’ve been warning for years that the UK’s
Online Safety Act would be a
disaster for the open internet. Its supporters accused us of exaggerating, or
“shilling” for Big Tech. But as we’ve long argued, while tech giants like
Facebook and Google might be able to shoulder the law’s immense regulatory
burdens, smaller sites would crumble.
Well, it’s already happening.
On Monday, the London Fixed Gear and Single-Speed (LFGSS) online forum
announced that it would be shutting down the day before the
Online Safety Act
goes into effect. It noted that it is effectively impossible to comply with the
law. This was in response to UK regulator Ofcom telling online businesses that
they need to start complying.
This includes registering a “senior person” with Ofcom who will be held
accountable should Ofcom decide your site isn’t safe enough. It also means that
moderation teams need to be fully staffed with quick response times if bad
(loosely defined) content is found on the site. On top of that, sites need to
take proactive measures to protect children.
While all of this may make sense for larger sites, it’s impossible for a small
one-person passion project forum for bikers in London. For a small,
community-driven forum, these requirements are not just burdensome, but
existential."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
