The Online Safety Act: Not In My Name

By | The Reasonable Adjustment

The Online Safety Act was sold as a way to protect people online — especially children. But what we’ve been left with is a bloated surveillance regime that threatens encryption, chills free expression, and hands sweeping powers to an unaccountable regulator.

It’s not just unworkable. It’s incompatible with a free, democratic internet — and it runs directly counter to the values Labour once championed.

🚨 What’s Wrong With the Act?

It undermines encryption by pushing messaging platforms to scan private conversations — affecting everyone, from whistleblowers to journalists to ordinary people trying to stay safe.
It introduces vague “legal but harmful” categories that risk turning criticism, satire, or dissent into punishable speech — causing people to self-censor.
It demands impossible levels of surveillance from platforms, including encrypted content — a technical dead end with authoritarian consequences.
It grants Ofcom massive powers with weak safeguards, lacking judicial oversight or independent accountability.

🔴 This Is Not What Labour Stands For

Labour has historically defended civil liberties — especially for working-class and marginalised communities.

🔐 Labour’s 2019 manifesto backed a Digital Bill of Rights with judicial oversight, privacy protections, and encrypted communication.
🛡️ Labour opposed previous surveillance expansions under the Investigatory Powers Act and others.
📢 Labour has always supported the right to protest, challenge power, and speak without fear of censorship.

This Act betrays that legacy.

📚 Wikipedia Is Taking the UK to Court

If you want a glimpse of how damaging this is, consider this: the Wikimedia Foundation is actively suing the UK government over the Act. They’ve warned that Wikipedia may restrict UK access if forced to verify contributors or limit editing. That’s not safety. That’s digital collapse.

📝 Tell Your MP: Not In My Name

If this concerns you — and it should — take a moment to send this letter to your MP. You can copy, paste, edit, or personalise it.

Dear [MP NAME],

While I understand the original intention behind the legislation — protecting vulnerable people online, especially children — I believe the Online Safety Act has overreached and now poses serious threats to civil liberties, freedom of expression, and digital privacy in the UK.

Some of my key concerns include:

Undermining End-to-End Encryption: The Act could force messaging platforms to scan private communications, setting a dangerous precedent that compromises security for everyone, including journalists, whistleblowers, and everyday users simply trying to protect their privacy.

Chilling Effect on Free Speech: The vague and subjective nature of what’s deemed “harmful” (even if legal) risks creating an online environment where people self-censor, fearing that their content could be flagged, removed, or criminalised.

Technical Impossibility Meets Legal Compulsion: Demanding that platforms proactively monitor all user content, including encrypted material, is not only unworkable but opens the door to mass surveillance by default.

Unaccountable Regulation: The powers granted to Ofcom under the Act are sweeping and lack sufficient independent oversight, raising serious questions about transparency and democratic accountability.

Beyond the practical and legal risks, I believe the Online Safety Act conflicts directly with Labour’s traditional values of civil liberty, privacy, and digital inclusion. The 2019 manifesto even proposed a Digital Bill of Rights. This Act runs directly against those principles.

One particularly alarming development is that Wikipedia is now actively threatening to restrict access to UK users. The Wikimedia Foundation has taken the UK government to court over this legislation, warning that its open collaborative model is incompatible with the Act’s requirements.

This Act, however well-intentioned, undermines core democratic values and risks dragging the UK towards a future of censorship, surveillance, and unaccountable regulation. That’s not the Labour tradition I believe in, and I doubt it’s one your constituents would recognise either.

As my elected representative, I urge you to challenge this legislation and support calls for its repeal or radical overhaul. I’d welcome a response detailing your position and whether you would consider raising this matter in Parliament or supporting others doing so.

Sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]
[YOUR POSTCODE]

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Disclaimer: This post is for public information and advocacy only. It does not constitute legal advice. The views expressed are the author’s own and reflect a commitment to digital rights, civil liberties, and democratic oversight.

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