The UK’s Online Safety Act has backfired spectacularly, forcing age verification for even mundane online content, driving users to VPNs, and forcing smaller sites to shut down.
Meanwhile, the EU’s Digital Services Act is deploying similar age-checking tools, further censoring dissent under the guise of safety. Both laws exemplify how governments exploit child protection to surveil and control the internet, eroding free speech under the pretense of regulation.
