Social network X sounded alarm on Friday, believing that the new British online security law risks infringing freedom of expression due to an application deemed too rigorous. The company calls for substantial changes in the text.
Online SAFETY ACT, currently deployed in the United Kingdom, imposes strict requirements on platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Tiktok and X, as well as to sites broadcasting pornography, in order to protect children and delete illegal content.
However, the law is the subject of criticism from political leaders, defenders of freedom of expression and creators of content, who denounce an overly broad application of the rules, resulting in the censorship of content however legal.
Users have complained about age checks, which require downloading personal data to access pornographic sites. More than 468,000 people have signed an online petition demanding the repeal of the law.
However, the government said on Monday that it did not intend to return to the text and that it collaborated with the OFCOM regulator for rapid implementation.
The Secretary of State for Digital, Peter Kyle, said on Tuesday that those who wanted to repeal the law “ranked on the side of the predators”.
The platform X, owned by Elon Musk and having already set up age verification, believes that the commendable intentions of the law are likely to be overshadowed by the extent of its scope.
“When the legislators approved these measures, they knowingly decided to increase censorship in the name of” online security “,” said X in a statement.
“It is legitimate to wonder if British citizens were also aware of the compromise granted. »»
X also deplores a compliance schedule deemed unnecessarily tight. Despite compliance with obligations, platforms remain threatened with sanctions and fines, which, according to X, encourages sugar.
According to the platform, only a balanced approach would protect freedoms, encourage innovation and ensure children’s safety.
“We can say without risk that significant changes are necessary to achieve these objectives in the United Kingdom,” concludes X.
A spokesman for the British government has replied that it is “obviously false” to claim that online Safety Act compromises freedom of expression.
“In addition to legal obligations aimed at protecting children, the same law imposes clear and unequivocal duties on platforms to guarantee freedom of expression,” he said.
Ofcom, for its part, announced Thursday that it had opened surveys on the compliance of four companies operating a total of 34 pornographic sites.