Controversial Posts Blocked By Age Verification Rules
Social media firms are now blocking content, including posts about the Ukraine and Gaza wars in order to comply with the UK's new Online Safety Act.
This Online Safety Act came into effect recently imposing fines on social media companies and other websites that are not protecting under-18s from pornography, posts promoting self-harm, and other harmful content. And in serious cases, online services could be blocked in the UK.
Much of the content about the Gaza war has been inaccurate misinformation spreading online with tens of millions of posts in circulation on social media.
A variety of sources, including government officials, media outlets, and social media influencers across different countries, have contributed to the spread of these inaccuracies and falsehoods.
Organisations can be fined up to £18m or 10% of their global revenue if they are found to have failed to stop harmful content appearing on their platforms.
Under the act harmful content includes posts containing pornography, or any which encourage self-harm, eating disorders or promote violence.
The same warning was experienced by users who attempted to view a video of a Shahed drone destroyed mid-flight in Ukraine. The Iranian-made drones, which are widely used by Russia in the full-scale invasion, are unmanned and nobody was injured or killed in the clip.
Reddit has introduced similar restrictions. The platform, which hosts countless communities which discuss major news events, now requires age checks for some groups when users try to access them via search engines.
Among the Reddit communities which have been restricted is one called R/UkraineConflict, a message board with 48,000 members that frequently posts footage of the war.
Similar restrictions, which urge users to "log in to confirm your age", have been imposed on several pages which discuss the Israel-Gaza war and communities which focus on healthcare.
Elon Musk, X owner, has been highly critical of this Online Safety Act.
The billionaire has launched a stream of attacks against the legislation online and X suggested that it could dissuade companies from launching products in the UK.
Data suggests that the legislation could heavily impact adults in the UK. Large proportions of users, up to 37% on X and 59% on Reddit, access these platforms whilst logged out, according to data from the platforms. This means those users won't be age-verified and will experience the Internet in the same way as children.
BBC | Yahoo | Tech Digest | The Guardian
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