The Independent Op-Ed: While politicians will have you believe that age verification measures are designed to protect children, they actually open them to more harm, warns cyber security expert

Britain’s The Independent yesterday published an op-ed written by Joseph Steinberg, in which the cybersecurity expert described the potentially catastrophic impact that the United Kingdom’s Online Safety Act may have when it comes to protecting children from online predators and other dangers lurking in cyberspace, as well as how the law threatens to disrupt the good work of various non-profits and other community-focused organizations.

Steinberg’s op-ed begins:

As the Online Safety Act begins its phased implementation, the UK government claims the legislation will create a safer digital world for children. While well intended, in reality, the OSA will likely do the opposite.

The legislation is fundamentally flawed – introducing loopholes that children will easily exploit while simultaneously threatening free speech and burdening small online communities with disproportionate liabilities. As we mark Safer Internet Day, it’s important that we understand the consequences of the dangerously flawed new law.

One of the most touted aspects of the Online Safety Act is the mandatory age verification for sites hosting adult content. Yet, this measure is doomed to fail. VPNs, proxy services, adult sites outside of the UK, and the dark web all allow minors to effortlessly bypass the OSA restrictions. Even worse, the OSA restrictions are likely to effectively encourage minors to use sites far more dangerous than those hosted in the UK.

The op-ed then explains in detail why, despite the fact that politicians may want you to believe that the Online Safety Act’s age verification requirements will protect children, the unintended consequences of the act’s mandates are more likely to inflict serious harm than to protect vulnerable people.

To read cybersecurity expert Joseph Steinberg’s op-ed that appeared yesterday in The Independent, please see:

Adult content and radicalisation – the sinister realities of the Online Safety Act

on The Independent‘s web site.