Security News > 2023 > October > King Charles III signs off on UK Online Safety Act, with unenforceable spying clause

With the assent of King Charles, the United Kingdom's Online Safety Act has become law, one that the British government says will "Make the UK the safest place in the world to be online."

The Online Safety Act, which began in April 2019 as the Online Harms White Paper when Theresa May served as Prime Minister and was passed by Parliament in September, aims to tame the internet.

It also seeks to prevent children from being exposed to harmful material, a goal that demands effective online age verification.

Concern remains that one particular passage, section 122 [PDF], allows Ofcom to demand that online service providers scan online communications, which would effectively disallow encryption.

A spokesperson for Signal told The Register that the company's position, as articulated by CEO Meredith Whittaker last month, remains unchanged.

Compliance obligations for the Online Safety Act may reverse that trend.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/10/27/online_safety_act_charles/