Ofcom has fined another porn site operator - in Cyprus, I think - £600,000 under the UK's #OnlineSafetyAct.

I'm struggling to think of another regulatory regime where the fines have flowed so rapidly.

(Or, I anticipate, where so few will be paid.)

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/protecting-children/investigation-into-youngtek-solutions-ltds-compliance-with-the-duty-to-prevent-children-from-encountering-pornographic-content-through-the-use-of-age-assurance

Absurd way to phrase a question. You could do this to anything.

"Adults should speak Esperanto or Latin when discussing certain topics, if it means children are safer"
"2 + 2 can equal 5, if it means children are safer"
"I will eat 1000 gluten-free vegan hotdogs in a single sitting, if it means children are safer"

#OnlineSafetyAct

Alt...

Screenshot of online safety act consultation question: "to what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement: adults should complete age checks more often, if it means children are safer online"

The nub of the dispute is somewhat amusingly mirrored in paragraph 5.11:

> Ofcom’s decision whether to issue this Confirmation Decision is governed by UK law. The First Amendment is not part of UK law and accordingly is immaterial.

The site provider's argument is, in essence, that, being a US-based operation, it is governed by US law. The OSA is not part of USA law and according is immaterial.

#OnlineSafetyAct

Ofcom has published a somewhat redacted version of its confirmation decision, imposing a £950,000 penalty on the overseas provider of an "online suicide discussion forum":

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/investigation-into-an-online-suicide-discussion-forum-and-its-compliance-with-duties-to-protect-its-users-from-illegal-content

#OnlineSafetyAct

"Forcing users to verify their identity before accessing #VPN services could significantly weaken anonymity protections and create new risks around #surveillance and data collection. VPN providers and other #privacy advocates have already expressed their objections to this approach in a letter sent to the UK policymakers."

#UKPol #EUPol #OnlineSafetyAct

https://cyberinsider.com/eu-calls-vpns-a-loophole-that-needs-closing-in-age-verification-push/

I’ve sent the admin an email to see if they would consider unblocking just the apis needed for federation. I’m not holding out much hope though.

Cc @neil@mastodon.neilzone.co.uk