Wikipedia operator loses UK Online Safety Act case

The Online Safety Act, which was passed in 2023, has faced a lot of opposition, but the UK government insists it is designed to protect children and remove illegal content.

Wikipedia's operator, the Wikimedia Foundation, lost its appeal against the UK's controversial Online Safety Act on August 11, which imposes new requirements on online platforms.

The Wikimedia Foundation previously filed a lawsuit in London's High Court against the rules issued under the law, arguing that they could impose the most stringent obligations on Wikipedia.

According to the online encyclopedia operator, if it were to be subject to so-called Category 1 obligations – which require verifying the identities of Wikipedia users and contributors – it would need to significantly reduce the number of UK users able to access the site.

Judge Jeremy Johnson dismissed the case, but said the Wikimedia Foundation could pursue legal action if UK media regulator Ofcom concludes that “Wikipedia is a Category 1 service."

Judge Johnson added that his decision to “not give a green light” to Ofcom and the authorities would significantly hamper Wikipedia’s operations.

The Wikimedia Foundation stressed that the ruling did not provide the immediate legal protection for Wikipedia that it had hoped for, but welcomed the court's comments, stressing that Ofcom and the UK Government have a responsibility to ensure Wikipedia is protected.

The UK Department for Science , Innovation and Technology has not yet responded to the move. Meanwhile, Ofcom said it would "continue to advance its work on classified services."

The Online Safety Act, which was passed in 2023, has faced a lot of opposition. However, the UK government insists that the law is designed to protect children and remove illegal content./.

(TTXVN/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/nha-dieu-hanh-wikipedia-thua-kien-lien-quan-dao-luat-an-toan-truc-tuyen-cua-anh-post1055077.vnp