Is 4chan the perfect Pirate Bay poster child to justify wider UK site-blocking?

Summary

The UK’s Online Safety Act (OSA) claims to protect children but has faced fierce criticism for censoring everything from legitimate news reporting from war zones, to critical discussion of the Act itself. There are many problems, not least a requirement for adults in the UK to prove their identity when accessing sites meeting criteria dictated by Ofcom. Large sites, many in the United States, face huge fines for allowing children to access age-inappropriate content. This means that unverified adults are treated as children with the same content restrictions. Ofcom’s global threats have led some sites to conclude that the safest option is to ban UK visitors altogether. Degraded Internet Experience? Hand Over Your Papers Successive UK governments understood there were risks, or rather, they were informed of the risks and went ahead regardless. Whether the internet is any safer is almost impossible to measure; the same can’t be said for the hours wasted or lost, and the corresponding increases in blood pressure, all thanks to artificial restrictions that punish those who value their privacy. Guided by the mantra, “a problem shared is a problem halved” those who air their OSA grievances in public find themselves presented with a 50/50 ultimatum. According to Peter Kyle, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, those with an opinion on the legislation fall into two categories: 1) People who want to protect kids and 2) People who side with online predators. You’re Either With Us, or Against Us The imposition of a binary choice is a well-worn political tactic. It aims to shut down dissent and/or discredit the speaker; in this case ordinary members of the public branded ‘predator enablers’ by a government minister. VPN users warranted direct advice; no allegations this time but a suggestion that, just like the unverified, VPN users aren’t helping to keep children safe. Just verify your age (impossible without verifying your identity) In the event that the ...