OfCom session for small sites trying to follow the Online Safety Act

[Gorewood]

Saw this shared on Mastodon:

Ofcom Session for Small, Low-Risk Community Sites · Luma

Promising Trouble is hosting a lunchtime session with Ali Hall and Andrew Park from Ofcom to discuss the new Online Safety responsibilities for small, low-risk…

lu.ma

Seemed it might be relevant to our interests, especially @Meadow

 

[fanofeverything25]

a great resource that could indeed clarify things for the better (or worse)

 

[The Questing Vole]

Did I miss an announcement/update somewhere about this? Everyone seems to have calmed down a bit but that may just be from the overwhelming weight of other shit happening.

 

[iainbhx]

I have the recordings to listen to this weekend and then I'm going to have a chat with the mods, when we've had a chat, we'll put something on here, essentially the position is roughly the same, there's a lot of things needing clarification and clarification is coming very late in the day from government.

 

[fanofeverything25]

I have the recordings to listen to this weekend and then I'm going to have a chat with the mods, when we've had a chat, we'll put something on here, essentially the position is roughly the same, there's a lot of things needing clarification and clarification is coming very late in the day from government.

perhaps the reason an explanation has been delayed is because of Trump. He DID say he would potentially remove any upcoming tariffs that would be targeted towards the UK if they did outright axe OR reduce the effects of this law. maybe OFCOM is waiting for the go ahead from the gov that all is clear and there is no threat of change before making any official statements?

 

[Geordie]

perhaps the reason an explanation has been delayed is because of Trump. He DID say he would potentially remove any upcoming tariffs that would be targeted towards the UK if they did outright axe OR reduce the effects of this law. maybe OFCOM is waiting for the go ahead from the gov that all is clear and there is no threat of change before making any official statements?

Just take a breath. I understand this is quite a big deal, but the mods will let us know what they can, when they can.

 

[Artaxerxes]

I have the recordings to listen to this weekend and then I'm going to have a chat with the mods, when we've had a chat, we'll put something on here, essentially the position is roughly the same, there's a lot of things needing clarification and clarification is coming very late in the day from government.

I am shocked, shocked I tell you (I am not shocked)

Hopefully this is all going to be ok in the end.

 

[fanofeverything25]

I am shocked, shocked I tell you (I am not shocked)

Hopefully this is all going to be ok in the end.

i have a feeling things will be......

 

[fanofeverything25]

Just take a breath. I understand this is quite a big deal, but the mods will let us know what they can, when they can.

yeah just speculating a potential reason for all the silence from the gov

 

[Thande]

Thanks for your efforts on this Iain.

If it's anything like how compliance works in academia, I fully expect us to put lots of effort into fully complying with both the letter and the spirit of the law, and then in practice Ofcom will prove strangely reluctant to actually enforce either when it comes to other sites (but in a way that means you can never relax or get complacent).

 

[lordroel]

Thanks for your efforts on this Iain.

If it's anything like how compliance works in academia, I fully expect us to put lots of effort into fully complying with both the letter and the spirit of the law, and then in practice Ofcom will prove strangely reluctant to actually enforce either when it comes to other sites (but in a way that means you can never relax or get complacent).

We are speaking about the same British government who just recently forced Apple to deny British citizens the right to encrypt their iCloud backups. Making it easier to subpoena Apple for data.

 

[The Questing Vole]

Thanks for your efforts on this Iain.

If it's anything like how compliance works in academia, I fully expect us to put lots of effort into fully complying with both the letter and the spirit of the law, and then in practice Ofcom will prove strangely reluctant to actually enforce either when it comes to other sites (but in a way that means you can never relax or get complacent).

This is exactly what will happen. There will be reams of Best Practice which is onerous to follow, but the odds of actual enforcement happening to any given provider will be slim unless there's a real moral panic or you're incredibly unlucky. I can't imagine SLP ever provoking the former, but the latter can happen to anyone...

 

[AndyC]

Taken from the Daily Cess-pit-graph, so with a pinch of salt - but sounding very plausible:

https://archive.is/4MypB

UK willing to renegotiate online harm laws to avoid Trump tariffs

Starmer may be prepared to alter social media safety Act to accommodate US president and his ‘tech bros’ to secure favourable trade deal

The Government is willing to rework its Online Safety Act in order to swerve tariffs from Donald Trump’s administration.
The law, which regulates online speech, is thought to be heavily disliked by the president’s administration because it can levy massive fines on US tech companies.

Downing Street is willing to renegotiate elements of the Act in order to strike a trade deal, should it be raised by the US, The Telegraph understands.
...

What's the odds that it ends up diluting the elements that apply to Xitter, Facebook, and the other giants, but leaves the onerous requirements on small sites?

 

[Charles EP M.]

If it won't apply to big sites, better to bin it. It'd be like the Renters Rights Bill not applying to a landlord with more than one house.

 

[Thande]

Taken from the Daily Cess-pit-graph, so with a pinch of salt - but sounding very plausible:

https://archive.is/4MypB

What's the odds that it ends up diluting the elements that apply to Xitter, Facebook, and the other giants, but leaves the onerous requirements on small sites?

I did mention in my letter to my MP that I thought the most likely outcome was that the big offenders would be untouchable while the small independent voices would be squished.

 

[Gryphon]

Not to be pressing or distracting or anything, but the not knowing is killing me- do we have any information, sense of vague optimism, clauster of impending doom, etc? Should I, you know, be working on my entry for the vignette challenge, or will I not have to worry so much about that end of month deadline?

 

[fanofeverything25]

Not to be pressing or distracting or anything, but the not knowing is killing me- do we have any information, sense of vague optimism, clauster of impending doom, etc? Should I, you know, be working on my entry for the vignette challenge, or will I not have to worry so much about that end of month deadline?

last i heard according to mod Charles EPM on Saturday it seems signs are pointing towards everything being normal and the board being okay, unless we get advanced warning of course

TLDR: signs seem to be shifting in a positive indication but nothing is certain and we still may get the rug pulled on us at the last minute

 

[Gryphon]

last i heard according to mod Charles EPM on Saturday it seems signs are pointing towards everything being normal and the board being okay, unless we get advanced warning of course

TLDR: signs seem to be shifting in a positive indication but nothing is certain and we still may get the rug pulled on us at the last minute

Please forgive me but I'm fully aware of this based on reading these threads, and your speculation has already proved instrumental in locking one discussion about it, so I'd very like to hear from the people who are actually capable of answering.

 

[fanofeverything25]

Please forgive me but I'm fully aware of this based on reading these threads, and your speculation has already proved instrumental in locking one discussion about it, so I'd very like to hear from the people who are actually capable of answering.

same and honestly im sorry about that incident if i contributed to it ive changed form them and im a better man now who's less brasher than before. though the main reason why that thread was closed IICR was that it was getting into speculation territory across the board as members other than me were doing that as well and we all collectively agreed to lock the thread .

we'd all like to hear from them to see if were safe or not but the truth is there probably just as in the dark as we are and when they'll hear something that proves otherwise one way or another then they'll inform us.