Current Events > The UK's "online safety bill" has become law

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/26/23922397/uk-online-safety-bill-law-passed-royal-assent-moderation-regulation

It passed parliament some time ago, but is now law. The bill has been attacked both for being overly broad, and for potentially undermining end-to-end-encryption. Just before it passed, the government claimed they wouldn't use it against encryption, despite nothing changing about the text itself. That part wasn't emphasized enough, and a lot of the criticism died down online because people believed the government had changed its stance and the bill.

Ultimately whether encryption is endangered or not depends on what regulators decide to do. Some people have speculated that most of the bill won't be enforced because it is too burdensome, and some think that if they go after encryption a ton of services will block the UK. My big fear is this stupidity spreading elsewhere.

tldr on what it does?

MatzoTov posted...

tldr on what it does?

Between what I wrote and the article, what was unclear? I can dig up other stuff about it, but I haven't read the thing through myself or anything. For me personally, I'm concerned about regulators using this to require backdoors for encrypted apps and services.

tldr man. You didnt clear anything up

NeonTentacles posted...

tldr man. You didnt clear anything up

What needs cleared up?

darkmaian23 posted...

What needs cleared up?

I'll be polite and ask to explain everything about it to me like I'm 5.

Now don't be a dick and say something like "What needs cleared up?"

Yeah it doesnt seem clear

Seems unclear TC

from the article

Specific harms the bill aims to address include underage access to online pornography, anonymous trolls, scam ads, the nonconsensual sharing of intimate deepfakes, and the spread of child sexual abuse material and terrorism-related content.

Uh, this will be hard to enforce in most methods. Good attempt though.

Seems like there is some sort of child safety app or something you can use. And that conjoins with the information site holders will have to provide.

Maybe?

Your were as vague on the contents of the bill as the bill itself. What it do?

UK passes Be Afraid bill.

Details to follow.

Knowing the UK right now, they'd probably only use the bill to go after Palestine supporters.

let me guess, it's been presented as "won't someone think of the children" but is more or less "let's put a bunch of spyware in everything?"

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]


Probably not unless the government agency thats tasked with enforcing this new law just so happens to tread on Microsofts toes in a manner that Microsoft doesnt particularly care for, just sayin.

MatzoTov posted...

tldr on what it does?

The part that's most controversial is a clause compelling services to grant the government access to private messages if they think there's something illegal in them. Of course this requires that such services actually have the ability to access those messages themselves so end-to-end encryption is effectively banned.

The government has promised to come up with some sort of compromise but the simple fact of the matter is there can be no compromise. Messages are either end-to-end encrypted or they're not. So the 'compromise' is likely to be a requirement to build in a back door but have the government pinky swear that they won't abuse it. Time will tell whether services will acquiesce or the government will back down.

darkmaian23 posted...

What needs cleared up?

This board has the tech literacy of that of a zoomer or boomer. They think PC gaming is more difficult than console gaming for example. You need to dumb it down and explain it to them like they are 5

Our shitty government will provide no aid to see any of this developed or done, or provide assistance for the body designed to oversee it.

A law made by people who struggle to unlock their phones in essence.

Or it will just be used to further target undesirable. Be it minorities, immigrants, protestors or people who criticise the government (that they are already keeping tabs on for being critical)

ROBANN_88 posted...

let me guess, it's been presented as "won't someone think of the children" but is more or less "let's put a bunch of spyware in everything?"

Didnt read the OPs link that much it it seem like Chat Control EU is considering. Which is terrifying.