Wikipedia is currently in a legal battle with the UK government to try and stop the platform being censored in the UK - or even completely blocked - thanks to the Online Safety Act.
Under the new law, the UK media regulator Ofcom is poised to label Wikipedia as a “Category 1” platform.
This would impose the strictest content rules possible - such as:
- age verification for users
- identity verification for contributors
- censorship of ‘harmful’ topics.
Wikipedia has already stated they will not implement any of these rules, arguing they would be forced to censor crucial facts, and potentially expose their volunteer contributors to real-world harm - such as political harassment, or worse - purely for documenting the truth.
In addition, Wikipedia says that bad actors could easily abuse the new laws - by filing fake complaints or exploiting vague “harm” rules to force them into entirely removing articles that people - or the UK government/corporations - simply disagree with.
Wikipedia’s legal case was heard at the Royal Court of Justice on July 22-23, and a ruling is expected within a month or so.
However, if their legal arguments are rejected and they refuse to implement Category 1 rules, the UK government could block access to Wikipedia entirely.
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