There’s a simple solution:

✅ Exempt small, safely run blogs, forums and fedi instances
✅ The government can do this now

The duties start TOMORROW – Write to your MP ⬇️

#SaveOurSites 🌐

https://action.openrightsgroup.org/save-our-sites-write-your-mp

#onlinesafety #onlinesafetyact #fediverse #netplurality #mastodon #ukpolitics #ukpol #tech

⚫️ Check if they have UK users

⚫️ Do a risk assessment on whether kids might access the content, or if CSAM or terrorist material might be posted in the comments

⚫️ Put themselves at the risk of fines, and even prison sentences, if they fail to comply with Ofcom’s future directives

#SaveOurSites 🌐

#fediverse #onlinesafetyact #ofcom #netplurality #mastodon #onlinesafety #tech

This lack of clarity over whether blogs with comments are exempt will push small sites to shut down completely.

We need the UK government to tighten up the definitions and exemptions in the Act.

Read our explainer for more detail ➡️ https://www.openrightsgroup.org/blog/save-our-sites-deadline-17-march/

#fediverse #onlinesafetyact #ofcom #netplurality #mastodon #onlinesafety #tech

1) Halt new activities and policy guidance.
Our ability to analyse emerging threats, develop best practices, and publish guidance for community moderators will be significantly reduced. This includes our work to help manage compliance with the UK’s #OnlineSafetyAct.

2/7

Spinning up a Cryptpad/Collabora/Etherpad instance to do the same thing: needs a risk assessment under the Online Safety Act

"Technology neutral" my donkey.

#OnlineSafetyAct

All online services need to identify, manage and mitigate risks of illegal content. For some, the risks on their service are low. For others, they may be higher or more complex. This session is designed to support services who think they may be low risk for all kinds of illegal harm.

Register here: https://lu.ma/qijpvfnl

Ofcom is hosting a session for "small low-risk community sites" on February 12th.

Make sure you get informed before making any drastic decisions about your server! https://lu.ma/qijpvfnl

#Fediverse#Compliance#OnlineSafetyAct#UK

https://onlinesafetyact.co.uk/ra_my_self_hosted_single_user_mastodon_instance_v0.2/

Thoughts? Do you disagree?

tl;dr: Right now, I intend to do an illegal content risk assessment and a children's risk assessment, as I cannot be confident my tiny personal server is out of scope.

#OnlineSafetyAct

I struggle conceptually with the notion that I am responsible for users on other people's instances, but I will do a further review, and likely will need to do an illegal content risk assessment and a children's risk assessment.

It is an undue burden, but for me it will be a useful enough learning exercise, and it will result in a public, permissively licensed, document.

#OnlineSafetyAct

We are in contact with Ofcom, and are working on a OSA Guide (similar to our DSA Guide).

Some accounts to follow as OSA rolls out: @neil @russss @rachelcoldicutt

I am focussing on template (i.e. sample) risk assessments and indicative compliance measures for a range of theoretical small services: fediverse instances, decentralised services, and the like.

My aim is to make these freely, publicly available, in the hope that they help people worrying about what they might need to do.

Hopefully - hopefully - I'll have something by early next week.

#OnlineSafetyAct