Technology

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Experimenting with unproven technology to determine whether a child should be granted protections they desperately need and are legally entitled to is cruel and unconscionable.

UK’s Online Safety Push Shows What Happens When Oversight Becomes Overreach

The UK’s Online Safety Act began rolling out early 2025, introducing several new mandates, some of which are aimed at protecting children from harmful online content. Included in the Act’s mandates, however, are measures that prevent adults from encountering “illegal” content and steps to ensure age verification that limit adults’ anonymity online.

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.

To date, regulators have taken a heavy-handed approach by rapidly increasing enforcement resources, adding layers of bureaucratic oversight and signaling an aggressive approach to ensuring compliance. Instead of specifically and collaboratively addressing a problem everyone agrees needs to be solved, many are now concerned that a plan ostensibly intended to keep children safe is at risk of seriously infringing on the public’s right to free expression.

This risk is not a surprise to the UK government. 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.

Recent events indicate the public is not comfortable with this level of intervention. For instance, a petition to repeal the Act is gaining momentum, collecting over 450,000 signatures in just the first few days after it was created.

X is among the companies to have worked hard to be in compliance. However, the timetable for meeting mandatory measures has been unnecessarily tight. And, despite being in compliance, X and its counterparts still face threats of enforcement, fines and rigid oversight, encouraging over-censorship.

Consider as well the emergence of a new "Voluntary” Code of Conduct recently enacted by the UK Home Office and the Violence Prevention Network (VPN) purportedly to address harmful online behaviors before they escalate. Supported by Ofcom, this parallel and duplicative effort was introduced at a time when companies were already pushing hard to meet the requirements in the Online Safety Act.

Government officials responded to questions about additional oversight by saying that the Online Safety Act isn’t “adequate enough to address harmful online behaviors.” This new code of conduct is specifically targeted at social media, gaming, and other interactive platforms to “encourage” proactive enforcement efforts, such as training staff and campaigns to curb “harmful content.” Because the Voluntary Code of Conduct comes so quickly on the heels of the Act’s enforcement, it inevitably creates a “double compliance” burden. Facing pressure to adopt additional measures on top of the already demanding legal obligations set forth in the Act will only lead to additional curbs to freedom of expression.

The UK government doesn't stop there. In addition to increased regulations, a new National Internet Intelligence Investigations team within the British Police will further intensify scrutiny. The team’s sole focus is monitoring social media for signs of unrest, such as anti-immigrant sentiment, to prevent real-world violence. While positioned as a safety measure, it clearly goes far beyond that intent. This move has set off alarm bells for free speech advocates who characterize it as excessive and potentially restrictive.

While everyone agrees protecting children is a critical responsibility, it is also clear that an overly rigorous statutory framework layered with a “voluntary” code and heightened police monitoring, oversteps the intended mission.

To be clear, X is in the business of solutions and we have been vigorously committed to providing a safe and constructive experience for users in the UK and worldwide. 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.

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PDF Report.

• 25% of TikTok's top search results contain synthetic AI imagery vs. significantly less on Instagram
• Over 80% of AI content comes from Agentic AI Accounts on TikTok, 15% on Instagram
• Only half of TikTok's AI content receives proper labeling; 23% on Instagram
• Over 80% of AI content is photorealistic, increasing deceptive potential
• Some AI labels have limited visibility and are non-existent for Instagram desktop users

I found the real Spotify accounts of celebrities, politicians, and journalists. Many use their real names. With a little sleuthing, I could say with near-certainty: yep, this is them.

We’ve been scraping their accounts since summer 2024. Playlists, live listening feed, everything. I know what songs they played, when, and how many times.

Heard of the Panama Papers? That exposed offshore bank accounts. This is about onshore vibes.

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When Meta embedded AI bots in its apps, even students in the most remote corners of Colombia gained access. But rather than boosting learning, it’s getting in the way.

• Meta’s popularity has made it the first place many Colombian students encounter and use generative AI.
• Teachers report a surge in AI-generated homework and essays, while student performance on exams declines.
• Educators warn easy access to AI is deepening existing problems in the country, which was already struggling with low graduation and literacy rates.