← Back to context

Comment by docflabby

4 months ago

it's not that simple - illegal and harmful content can include things like hate speech - worth a longer read... https://www.theregister.com/2025/01/14/online_safety_act/

If I ran a small forum in the UK I would shut it down - not worth risk of jail time for getting it wrong.

18 comments

docflabby

Reply
docflabby  4 months ago

The new rules cover any kind of illegal content that can appear online, but the Act includes a list of specific offences that you should consider. These are:

    terrorism
    child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA) offences, including
        grooming
        image-based child sexual abuse material (CSAM)
        CSAM URLs
    hate
    harassment, stalking, threats and abuse
    controlling or coercive behaviour
    intimate image abuse
    extreme pornography
    sexual exploitation of adults
    human trafficking
    unlawful immigration
    fraud and financial offences
    proceeds of crime
    drugs and psychoactive substances
    firearms, knives and other weapons
    encouraging or assisting suicide
    foreign interference
    animal cruelty

nsteel  4 months ago

I might be falling for what I've read second-hand but isn't one of the issues that it doesn't matter where the forum is based, if you've got significant UK users it can apply to your forum hosted wherever. You've got to block UK users.

guax  4 months ago

The good thing about forums is their moderation. It seems like mostly what the law covers is already enforced by most forums anyways.

  • Tuna-Fish  4 months ago

    A forum that merely has good moderation is not automatically compliant with the act. It requires not just doing things, but paperwork that shows that you are doing things. The effort to do this well enough to be sure you will be in compliance is far beyond what is reasonable to ask of hobbyists.