#onlinesafetyact — Public Fediverse posts

So we had to sacrifice our #privacy and upload ID to sketchy websites, other websites had to disable comments, and still the #OnlineSafetyAct didn't actually deliver the supposed benefits to young people that we were all promised?

'More than a year after the OSA's key child protection duties took effect, de Souza told MPs and peers that young people had little understanding of the legislation or how it was intended to change their online experiences.'

https://www.theregister.com/security/2026/09/03/uks-online-safety-act-has-made-absolutely-no-difference-kids-say/5293893

#UK #technology

> Ofcom has today fined an online porn provider £700,000 for not having age checks in place, and a further £30,000 for failing to respond to a legally binding information request.

I had not heard of "xgroovy" before this enforcement action...

This site now has age verification in place; the fine related to July 2025 - November 2025.

I wouldn't bank on HM Treasury receiving payment of this fine any time soon :)

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/porn-site-deploys-age-checks-as-ofcom-fines-it-730000

#OnlineSafetyAct

This update from Ofcom, in terms of enforcement action under the #OnlineSafetyAct against Mega, for a file sharing service, is interesting - and probably comforting - in terms of how Ofcom and Mega engaged collaboratively, to solve a perceived issue, rather than Ofcom going straight to enforcement.

> We welcome the proactive approach that Mega has taken to engaging with Ofcom and its commitment to making timely and tangible improvements to the design and operation of its service Transfer.it.

> Considering Mega’s constructive approach to engaging with Ofcom, its willingness to make improvements to the design and operation of its service to directly address our concerns, and our desire to work productively with providers where possible to drive rapid improvements that increase the safety of UK users, we have decided to close this period of compliance remediation with Mega and take no further action at this time.

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/megas-compliance-assurances-in-respect-of-transfer.it-to-take-measures-to-prevent-users-from-encountering-or-sharing-child-sexual-abuse-material-csam

"This week a massive new data breach has been revealed that should put the nail in the coffin for the idea that any sort of age or identity verification could be safe. 153 million scans of drivers licenses easily available based on this breach, with more being added all the time. Literally on the day it was revealed, it added another 400,000 records to its available database."

#Politics #Privacy #DataProtection #AgeVerification #OnlineSafetyAct

https://www.techdirt.com/2026/09/03/hackers-had-a-live-feed-of-every-id-this-verification-company-scanned-for-over-a-year/

OSA has destroyed countless well-run small independent forums and gathering spaces, had zero effect on the most flagrant abuse (which it was sold as fixing).. and now a survey of kids says it made absolutely no difference.

https://www.theregister.com/security/2026/09/03/uks-online-safety-act-has-made-absolutely-no-difference-kids-say/5293893

Gee, who could possibly have predicted this?

#onlineSafetyAct

UK's Online Safety Act Fails to Curb Harmful Online Content for Children

Children have bluntly told the Children's Commissioner that the UK's Online Safety Act has failed to make a tangible impact on their online lives, with many saying it has made "absolutely no difference" to their exposure to harmful content. Despite being in effect for over a year, the law seems to be falling…

https://osintsights.com/uks-online-safety-act-fails-to-curb-harmful-online-content-for-children?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

#OnlineSafetyAct #ChildProtection #UkLegislation #SocialMediaRegulation #EmergingThreats