4chan and Kiwi Farms filed a lawsuit in U.S. federal court against the UK's Office of Communications (Ofcom) over the Online Safety Act on August 27. The platforms' legal counsel, Preston Byrne, previously warned they would challenge Ofcom's attempts to levy fines and penalties under the law. The OSA, effective July 25, requires age verification to access many online services and targets content deemed "harmful," including pornography. Critics argue the law undermines privacy, restricts access, and walls off parts of the internet. Both sites contend Ofcom lacks jurisdiction because their servers and operations are based in the United States.
Notorious and controversial imageboards 4chan and Kiwi Farms are taking the UK government to task in U.S. federal court, filing suit against the country's Office of Communications (Ofcom) over the controversial Online Safety Act (OSA). The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday, August 27, follows earlier threats made by the site's legal counsel, Preston Byrne. Byrne warned that the platforms would challenge Ofcom's attempts to levy fines and penalties under the OSA.
Since taking effect on July 25, the OSA has introduced broad age verification requirements that force UK citizens to provide proof of age to access even mainstream platforms like YouTube and Spotify. The law, billed as protecting children from "harmful" content like pornography, has instead drawn fire from critics who argue it undermines privacy, restricts access, and effectively walls off parts of the internet.
Noncompliant sites like 4chan and Kiwi Farms have faced threats of fines and outright blocking in the UK. Both platforms argue that Ofcom has no jurisdiction over them since their servers and operations are based in the United States. The lawsuit marks the most significant legal challenge yet to the OSA, which has already proven to be one of the most controversial internet laws in recent memory.
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