Social network X, owned by U.S. billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, accused the British government of “overreach” with a new law designed to protect children from harmful online content such as pornography.
The Online Safety Act’s “laudable intentions are at risk of being overshadowed by the breadth of its regulatory reach,” X said in a post on its Global Government Affairs account. “A plan ostensibly intended to keep children safe is at risk of seriously infringing on the public’s right to free expression,” it added, arguing that the impact “shows what happens when oversight becomes overreach.”
The UK government hit back, saying it was “demonstrably false” to claim the act compromised free speech, and pointing to its provisions on protecting freedom of expression.
Platforms failing to comply risk fines of up to 18 million pounds ($24 million) or 10% of their global revenue–whichever is larger. Serious infringers could also be blocked from British territory.
However, many people resort to virtual private networks (VPNs) to get around territorial restrictions on access to online content. The most popular free apps on Apple’s UK download store since last week have been VPNs, with one, Proton, reporting earlier this week a 1,800% rise in downloads, according to British media.
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