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In the UK, as the nation faces a surge of arrests for online speech, the communications regulator Ofcom’s decision to expand its team by 20% to enforce the Online Safety Act raises significant concerns about the further potential suppression of free speech. This move, reported by the Financial Times, aims to increase the regulator’s workforce from 460 to over 550 by next March, representing a third of its total staff.
This development follows riots sparked by a mass stabbing of children in Southport, England on July 29, where social media’s role in spreading misinformation was accused of exacerbating the chaos, resulting of citizens being arrested for their social media posts.
However, this rapid expansion in regulatory oversight occurs amid a controversial online discourse with accusations of censorship being highlighted by figures like Elon Musk and more.
The UK’s new censorship law, the Online Safety Act, passed last year, aims to combat the spread of harmful “misinformation.”
However, the push to expand Ofcom’s role under the Act has sparked fears of regulatory overreach and the subjective policing of online speech. These concerns are compounded by discussions in the government about reintroducing measures to force the removal of “legal but harmful” speech, a move previously contested as a threat to free expression.
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