The UK triggers a global internet argument

The United Kingdom’s Online Safety Act was passed in 2023 to protect users, particularly children, from harmful online content. The law puts age verification limits on a whole range of material — pornography, hate speech, content promoting drugs and weapons, online harassment, and depictions of violence. The act’s verification provisions went into effect in late July. As soon as it did, UK internet users found themselves having to upload IDs and selfies to prove they were old enough to access certain content. Large platforms restricted everything from X posts on Gaza to subreddits on cigars, and blocked content entirely in certain cases. Politically, it’s already turning into a fertile issue. A bipartisan House delegation traveled to the UK to discuss the law’s possible impact on the speech rights of Americans. It was led by House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH), who has spearheaded the conservative “free speech” case against numerous tech platforms in the U.S., but also included Democrats worried about First Amendment rights. “When foreign governments try to export their speech codes to the United States, it undermines our First Amendment values,” said Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI).