The Wikimedia Foundation, hosts of the free online encyclopedia Wikipedia, is challenging an aspect of the United Kingdom’s Online Safety Act (OSA). The law aims to protect users from harmful online content by imposing restrictions and fines on large internet platforms such as social media companies. While the law was originally passed in 2023, enforcement and categorization of companies subject to the law are only taking shape now.
The law sorts online platforms into categories that are then met with varying levels of restrictions and enforcement. Wikimedia is specifically challenging the “categorisation regulations” under the law, arguing that Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator, is using a flawed and vague system of metrics to judge what category a platform falls into.
Under the current definition, metrics like number of UK users and the ability to forward or share content make it more likely that Wikipedia would be considered a higher-risk “Category 1” platform. This would put Wikipedia in the same bucket as Facebook, X, YouTube and other enormous social platforms.
The Wikimedia Foundation’s lead counsel Phil Bradley-Schmieg shared in a blog post that the foundation had been working with UK regulators for years in an attempt to clarify the rules in a manner the foundation felt would be more fair.
Platforms that are recognized as Category 1 are held to more stringent requirements governing how quickly they remove harmful content, ensuring proper age verification, preventing cyberbullying and more. The Wikimedia Foundation is arguing that Wikipedia should not be lumped into Category 1, as it is a nonprofit, ad-free and mostly volunteer-operated service.
In another blog post, the Wikimedia Foundation lays out its concerns, saying that these restrictions “would be a substantial challenge to our resources to meet the strict reporting and compliance obligations,” and that the fines threatened by Category 1 classification could lead to “disempowering users who wish to keep their identity private.”
The foundation made clear that they ultimately support regulations that could improve online safety. “Given that the OSA intends to make the UK a safer place to be online,"Bradley-Schmieg wrote "it is particularly unfortunate that we must now defend the privacy and safety of Wikipedia’s volunteer editors from flawed legislation.”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/wikipedias-owner-challenges-categorization-rules-under-uks-online-safety-act-175128560.html?src=rss https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/wikipedias-owner-challenges-categorization-rules-under-uks-online-safety-act-175128560.html?src=rssJelentkezéshez jelentkezzen be
EGYÉB POSTS Ebben a csoportban
HTC is once again attacking the weara
The back-to-school season isn't only a good time to save on things like a new laptop. Case in point: Sonos' bac
E-bike company Cowboy has secured short-term financing that would allow its operations to go back to normal after a period it describes as the "most challenging in [its] history." The company has
The back-to-school season is a good time to save on tech, whether you're returning to campus or not. While some
Solos is teaming up with Envision, a company that makes assistive technology for the blind and low-vision co
If DJI is entering the 360-degree action
More than a year after an import ban forced the company to remove blood oxygen monitoring from some US Apple Watch models, Apple says it will introduce a redesigned version of the feature later tod
