Welcome to our small corner of the web where we unpack the UK Government's Online Safety Act 2023. On the surface it promises to make the internet safer, especially for the children—and who could disagree with that? Yet as we peer behind the curtain, the ghost of 1984 begins to loom.
What is the Online Safety Act?
The legislation gives Ofcom new powers to police online services and demand the removal of harmful material. Supporters including the NSPCC argue these tools are needed to tackle abuse. Opponents counter that the definitions remain worryingly vague. Early drafts would have forced platforms to strip out so-called "legal but harmful" content. That wording was dropped, yet the final Act still requires swift takedowns of illegal posts and anything Ofcom labels harmful to children, leaving plenty of room for overreach.
Why you should care: the Act touches everyday users, not just tech giants.
- Your private messages could be scanned.
- You might have to hand over ID to offshore data companies.
- Regulators could decide what you can and cannot post.
- Officials or algorithms might decide what you can see.
- Centralised ID databases are ripe for data breaches.
- Political news or anything deemed “harmful” could be censored.
Privacy Trade-Offs
In practice, the legislation could weaken encryption and encourage platforms to scan private messages. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has raised alarms that such measures amount to mass monitoring. Privacy advocates say this sets a dangerous precedent for constant surveillance of personal communications. Now we can all rest easy knowing Big Brother is keeping a keen eye on our group chats. The UK Information Commissioner's Office has also warned that scanning private messages could erode trust in digital services. Large age-check databases could become ripe targets for breaches, especially when outsourced to overseas firms with weaker safeguards. Leaked ID records tying names to browsing habits would be a goldmine for scammers and blackmailers.
Parents or Algorithms?
Finally, we must ask whether state-mandated filters actually keep young people safe. Technology can only go so far—ultimately, parents and guardians remain the first line of defence. Critics say the Act fosters a false sense of security by outsourcing parenting to algorithms. Perhaps the best parental control is still a conversation at the dinner table.
Blanket filters rarely work—they can't keep up with the endless stream of dodgy websites that appear outside UK jurisdiction and are accessible in seconds via VPNs or proxies. Outlawing these tools would hobble legitimate uses from remote work to personal privacy, so most users will simply dodge the blocks. Heavy-handed filtering risks driving people toward obscure, unmonitored corners of the internet.
Rather than leaning on draconian restrictions, education experts encourage frank discussions about online behaviour and privacy. Teaching children how to navigate the web responsibly empowers them in ways blanket bans never will.
Research from EU Kids Online suggests that children whose parents discuss online risks openly are better equipped to stay safe than those shielded by filters alone.
Where to Learn More
The full text of the Act is available on the UK legislation website. For critical views, see the Big Brother Watch campaign and Open Rights Group. As always, read widely and decide for yourself. You can also consult the UK Council for Internet Safety for resources on supporting children's digital resilience. More links are available on our Resources page.