According to recent reports, the Wikimedia Foundation has announced that Wikipedia will not be implementing age-gating for its services, regardless of the final form of the UK’s Online Safety Bill. The Online Safety Bill has been touted as world-leading legislation that aims to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online. However, it has faced criticism for its proposed age verification measures and its potential implications for breaking encryption and allowing law enforcement access to online content.
One of the bill’s key measures requires online platforms to control risks for underage visitors. However, the Wikimedia Foundation has stated that it will not age-restrict its entries. In a statement to the BBC, Rebecca MacKinnon, Vice President of Global Advocacy at Wikimedia, explained that implementing age verification measures would “violate our commitment to collect minimal data about readers and contributors.” This stance highlights the foundation’s unwavering commitment to user privacy and data protection.
While age verification measures may be seen as necessary to ensure online safety for young users, implementing such measures can be complicated. Critics of age verification measures argue that they can be costly to implement, undermine user privacy, and result in discriminatory practices. The Wikimedia Foundation has considered these concerns when deciding not to age-restrict its content.
In light of the ongoing discussions surrounding the Online Safety Bill and its potential impact on online freedom, it is refreshing to see a nonprofit organization such as the Wikimedia Foundation take a clear stance on user privacy and data protection. By prioritizing these values, the foundation is upholding its commitment to its users and setting an example for other online platforms to follow.
Concerns over proposed age-gating measures in online safety bill
Lucy Crompton-Reid, the chief of Wikimedia UK, has expressed concern that one of the world’s most visited websites may become inaccessible to UK readers and contributors due to the proposed age-gating measures in the Online Safety Bill. Wikimedia, which hosts the free online encyclopedia Wikipedia, has already stated that it will not implement age verification measures to restrict access to its content based on age.
The Online Safety Bill is currently in the committee stage at the House, where members are considering a full package of amendments that define the rules for age assurance, including the timing of its introduction and the definition of terms such as age verification and age assurance. At this stage, it is still being determined how these amendments will affect online platforms and their operations.
In February, some members of the House of Lords were disappointed that an earlier version of the Bill did not include measures to prevent children from accessing pornography. They called for age verification to be included in the Bill to address this issue. It remains to be seen how the final version of the Bill will address these concerns and what impact it will have on online platforms such as Wikimedia.
The Earl of Erroll, who serves as the Parliamentary Chair of the Digital Safety Tech Group, has expressed concern about the potential for the UK government to attempt again to implement age verification measures for online platforms. He referenced the “constitutional impropriety” that occurred when the Executive refused to implement the will of Parliament regarding age verification in the Digital Economy Act 2017, indicating that some factions may be gearing up for a second round of debates on this issue.
Tech organizations and experts express concerns T
Protecting children and vulnerable individuals online is viewed as a priority for the government and a potential vote winner. As a result, it is unlikely that the Online Safety Bill will be dropped entirely, despite concerns from free speech advocates and pressure from tech businesses. Jo Joyce, a senior counsel in Taylor Wessing’s commercial tech & data team, highlighted this in a previous statement, indicating that the government may be unwilling to abandon the bill altogether. The bill’s final version will likely reflect a balance between protecting vulnerable users and upholding principles of free speech and online privacy.
In 2019, internet age verification in the Digital Economy Act was abandoned due to concerns from both security and privacy experts and readers of The Register. Many were worried about collecting personal data required for such checks, including proposals such as using credit card information or allowing certain companies to serve as information collectors or age verification service providers.
However, the Lords believed that “anonymous age verification is possible” and proposed alternative solutions. The UK government has not approached the Wikimedia Foundation about the “Encyclopaedia exception,” which would exempt certain platforms from relevant clauses in the Online Safety Bill. It also needs to be clarified how many Wikipedia editors are based in the UK currently, as the most recent data available is from 2013 and only indicates that 13% of Wikipedians were based in the UK.
Tech organizations have been increasingly vocal about their concerns regarding the Online Safety Bill. Encrypted communication platforms such as Element, Session, Signal, Threema, Viber, WhatsApp, and Wire have urged the UK government to reconsider the bill’s provisions.
