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UK's Online Safety Law Is Putting Free Speech at Risk, X Says
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on August 1, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
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UK's online safety law risks suppressing free speech, says X. Critics argue the rules are too broad, leading to legal content censorship.
UK's online safety law is putting free speech at risk, X
LONDON (Reuters) -Britain's online safety law risks suppressing free speech due to its heavy-handed enforcement, social media site X said on Friday, adding that significant changes were needed.
The Online Safety Act, which is being rolled out this year, sets tough new requirements on platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and X, as well as sites hosting pornography, to protect children and remove illegal content.
But it has attracted criticism from politicians, free-speech campaigners and content creators, who have complained that the rules had been implemented too broadly, resulting in the censorship of legal content.
Users have complained about age checks that require personal data to be uploaded to access sites that show pornography, and more than 468,000 people have signed an online petition calling for the act to be repealed.
The government said on Monday it had no plans to do so and it was working with regulator Ofcom to implement the act as quickly as possible.
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said on Tuesday that those who wanted to overturn it were "on the side of predators".
Elon Musk's X, which has implemented age verification, said the law's laudable intentions were at risk of being overshadowed by the breadth of its regulatory reach.
"When lawmakers approved these measures, they made a conscientious decision to increase censorship in the name of 'online safety'," it said in a statement.
"It is fair to ask if UK citizens were equally aware of the trade-off being made."
X said the timetable for meeting mandatory measures had been unnecessarily tight, and despite being in compliance, platforms still faced threats of enforcement and fines, encouraging over-censorship.
It said a balanced approach was the only way to protect liberty, encourage innovation and safeguard children.
"It's safe to say that significant changes must take place to achieve these objectives in the UK," it said.
Ofcom said on Thursday it had launched investigations into the compliance of four companies, which collectively run 34 pornography sites.
(Reporting by Paul SandleEditing by Mark Potter)
Key Takeaways
- •The UK's online safety law may suppress free speech.
- •Social media site X calls for significant changes.
- •The law requires platforms to protect children and remove illegal content.
- •Critics argue the rules are too broad and censor legal content.
- •Ofcom is investigating compliance of several companies.
Frequently Asked Questions about UK's online safety law is putting free speech at risk, X says
1What are the main concerns regarding the Online Safety Act?
The Online Safety Act has been criticized for its broad implementation, leading to potential censorship of legal content and heavy-handed enforcement that may suppress free speech.
2What has social media platform X said about the law?
X has expressed that the law's intentions are commendable but warned that its regulatory reach could lead to increased censorship and over-censorship among platforms.
3How has the UK government responded to calls for changes to the law?
The UK government has stated it has no plans to amend the Online Safety Act and is working with Ofcom to implement it as quickly as possible.
4What actions has Ofcom taken regarding the Online Safety Act?
Ofcom has launched investigations into the compliance of four companies that operate a total of 34 pornography sites under the new regulations.
5What do critics believe about the age verification requirements?
Critics have raised concerns about the age verification checks that require users to upload personal data, arguing that this could infringe on privacy and discourage access to legal content.
