The technology secretary has refused to apologise after accusing Nigel Farage of being “on the side” of Jimmy Savile over the Reform leader’s opposition to online safety laws.
More than 6,000 platforms, including the major social media networks and pornography sites, introduced age checks on Friday under the Online Safety Act.
Farage said the act carried a risk that free speech would be “erased at the stroke of a pen” and warned that children will be pushed to dark and dangerous corners of the internet as a result. He pledged to reform the legislation under a Reform government.
But Peter Kyle, the technology secretary, said his opposition to the act meant Farage was on the side of “extreme pornographers”. He told Sky News: “Make no mistake about it, if people like Jimmy Savile were alive today, he’d be perpetrating his crimes online. And Nigel Farage is saying that he’s on their side.”
He added that Farage “is on the side of turning the clock back to the time when strange adults can get in touch via messaging apps with children”.
Farage said the comments were “disgusting” and called on Kyle to “do the right thing and apologise”.
Responding on social media, Kyle said: “If you want to overturn the Online Safety Act you are on the side of predators. It is as simple as that.”
Kyle’s comments were branded “outrageous and disgusting” by Reform’s former chairman, Zia Yusuf. He told Sky News: “I’m 38 years old. That’s one of the most outrageous and disgusting things a politician has said in the political arena that I can remember. And that’s quite a high bar, frankly.”
He added that the comments showed “how deeply unserious” the government was about child safety, saying: “Talking about Jimmy Savile in that way does nothing other than denigrate [his] victims.
“This is a political party that is collapsing in the polls at historic speed, a prime minister whose approval is collapsing at historic speed, all they have left is trying to censor British people and insult their political opponents in the most disgusting way.”
Under the rules, children must be prevented from seeing pornography and material that promotes suicide, self-harm and eating disorders. Technology companies must verify whether users are over 18 using facial age checks and official documents. They can also assess email addresses or contact books to establish a user’s age.
However, the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) has surged in recent days, taking five of the top ten slots on the free App Store chart for Apple devices. Google’s equivalent chart is not dominated by VPNs.
VPN software hides a user’s location and encrypts any data they send or receive over the internet. They are used as a privacy and security tool but are also popular with citizens of authoritarian regimes, who use VPNs to circumvent the “geoblocking” of some services.
“The road to hell can be paved with good intentions,” Farage said.
Ofcom’s chief executive said that one in ten nine-year-olds had stumbled across online pornography
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He acknowledged the legislation had been passed to stop the exposure of children to content promoting suicide or self-harm after high-profile campaigns such as that resulting from the death of Molly Russell, 14, who killed herself after viewing toxic content on Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter.
He said, however: “If the result of an attempt by the last government to stop cases like Molly Russell from happening finishes up with genuine open debate and free speech able to be erased at the stroke of a pen from one minister without any checks, then we find ourselves in the worst place.”
He said the legislation was “driving people off towards VPNs, potentially towards the dark web” and the result would be “young people accessing even more dangerous content than they were before this legislation came in”.
Ofcom, the regulator, was aware that VPNs could pose a challenge to the regime. Dame Melanie Dawes, its chief executive, was questioned on the loophole during a hearing of the Commons science, technology and innovation committee in May.
Users of pornography websites now have to verify their age under the Online Safety Act
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Kit Malthouse, the Conservative MP, asked her: “Am I able to use a VPN to get completely around the Online Safety Act?”
Dawes replied: “A very concerted 17-year-old who really wants to use a VPN to access a site they shouldn’t, may well be able to.”
She said the age checks would do a “huge amount” to stop young children “stumbling” across online pornography, which was how one in ten nine-year-olds found such content.
Ben Jacob, a senior cybersecurity consultant at Secureworks, said: “We have just taught the younger generation to use VPNs to bypass identity checks, leading to difficulty in tracking access to harmful content and an increased risk of man-in-the-middle attacks [when untrustworthy VPNs are used].”
As the bill passed through parliament, Sarah Champion, the Labour MP, proposed an amendment that would have forced the government to “find solutions’ to combat the use of VPNs, but it failed.
Some platforms, including a suicide promotion site and Gab, a social media service known for its far-right base, have blocked UK users rather than take part in the regime. A petition to repeal the act that was started in October last year has 342,000 signatures after Elon Musk retweeted a campaign led by the far-right activist Tommy Robinson at the weekend.
Sir Keir Starmer defended the laws in an exchange with President Trump. The US president was asked by reporters if he feared restrictions on social media companies could lead to content on his own TruthSocial platform being censored. Trump said “I don’t think he’s going to censor my site”, before appearing to joke: “Will you please uncensor my site?”
Starmer sought to shut the issue down, saying: “We’re not censoring anyone.” He stressed the UK had long been supportive of free speech and added: “I personally feel very strongly we should protect our young teenagers — and that’s what it usually is — from things like suicide sites. I don’t see that as a free speech issue, I see that as a child protection issue.”
Labour also said that scrapping the Online Safety Act “would recklessly open the floodgates to kids being exposed to extreme digital content”, accusing Farage of seeking to reduce “vital protections for young people online”.
“Reform offers anger but no answers,” the party said. “They won’t say what they would do instead to keep people safe. Farage would give children access to material on suicide, self-harm, eating disorders and pornography. He is simply not serious.
“While Nigel Farage rushes out policies that could put young people at risk, Labour is driving forward our plans for online safety and to reduce crime on Britain’s streets.”
Ofcom said: “Until now, kids could easily stumble across porn and other online content that’s harmful to them without even looking for it. Age checks will help prevent that. We’re now assessing compliance to make sure platforms have them in place, and companies that fall short should expect to face enforcement action.
“But age checks are not a silver bullet and some determined teenagers may get round them. Ultimately, this needs to work alongside education, awareness campaigns and through supportive conversations with trusted adults.”
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