Hacker News with Generative AI: Online Safety

Ofcom announces new rules for tech firms to keep children safe online (theguardian.com)
Social media and other internet platforms will be legally required to block children’s access to harmful content from July or face large fines, Ofcom has announced.
Online Safety, Regulation, Children, Social Media, Technology
14 points by beardyw 2 days ago | 3 comments
AI images of child sexual abuse are becoming "significantly more realistic" (theguardian.com)
Images of child sexual abuse created by artificial intelligence are becoming “significantly more realistic”, according to an online safety watchdog.
Artificial Intelligence, Child Safety, Online Safety, Ethics
6 points by 01-_- 3 days ago | 0 comments
Discord Begins Testing Facial Scans for Age Verification (gizmodo.com)
Discord has begun requiring some users in the United Kingdom and Australia to verify their age through a facial scan before being permitted to access sensitive content.
Age Verification, Privacy, Social Media, Online Safety
13 points by HiroProtagonist 10 days ago | 0 comments
Bitchute blocks UK due to Online Safety Act (bitchute.com)
Online Safety, Censorship, Video Platforms, United Kingdom, Politics
11 points by like_any_other 17 days ago | 2 comments
UK Online Safety Act template for Fediverse instances (onlinesafetyact.co.uk)
Again, a major change: I am not confident a conclusion that my own, personal, self-hosted, Mastodon instance is out of scope of the OSA.
Online Safety, Legislation, Social Media, Decentralization
4 points by pmlnr 39 days ago | 0 comments
UK Online Safety Act comes into force today (ofcom.org.uk)
From today, online platforms must start putting in place measures to protect people in the UK from criminal activity, while Ofcom has launched its latest enforcement programme to assess industry compliance.
Online Safety, UK Law, Regulation, Technology, Media
32 points by intunderflow 40 days ago | 12 comments
Meta is trying to offload kids safety onto app stores with new bills says Google (theverge.com)
Google has its own ideas about what kids online safety legislation should look like.
Online Safety, Legislation, Google, Meta, App Stores
7 points by mooreds 44 days ago | 1 comments
Google's legislative proposal for keeping kids safe online (google)
Legislation pushed by Meta would share kids' information with millions of developers without parental consent or rules on how it's used; we have a better way.
Privacy, Online Safety, Legislation, Children, Social Media
8 points by gnabgib 45 days ago | 0 comments
Age Verification Laws: A Backdoor to Surveillance (eff.org)
I’m old enough to remember when age verification bills were pitched as a way to ‘save the kids from porn’ and shield them from other vague dangers lurking in the digital world (like…“the transgender”). We have long cautioned about the dangers of these laws, and pointed out why they are likely to fail. While they may be well-intentioned, the growing proliferation of age verification schemes poses serious risks to all of our digital freedoms.
Privacy, Surveillance, Online Safety, Digital Freedoms
660 points by hn_acker 50 days ago | 445 comments
Ninth Circuit Rules That Dating App Isn't Liable for Matching Users (eff.org)
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit correctly held that Grindr, a popular dating app, can’t be held responsible for matching users and enabling them to exchange messages that led to real-world harm.
Legal Issues, Dating Apps, Online Safety
5 points by gslin 52 days ago | 0 comments
Lobsters blocking UK users because of the Online Safety Act (lobste.rs)
Online Safety, Censorship, Regulation, Technology, UK
134 points by ColinWright 62 days ago | 80 comments
In memoriam (onlinesafetyact.co.uk)
The following sites and services have stated that the Online Safety Act 2023 is the reason for their closing, or for geo-blocking UK users.
Online Safety, UK Law, Censorship, Social Media, Technology
237 points by ColinWright 62 days ago | 142 comments
Forum with 2.6M posts being deleted due to UK Online Safety Act (hexus.net)
With the impeding full implementation of the 2023 online safety act, it looks like HEXUS forums will have to close, or at least downgrade to read only.
Online Safety, Legislation, Forums, Censorship, UK
273 points by jonatron 63 days ago | 288 comments
Why UK Online Safety Act may not be safe for bloggers (theregister.com)
Individual publishers could be held liable for visitors' off-topic posts, legal eagle argues
Online Safety, Legislation, Blogging, UK, Law
4 points by LinuxBender 77 days ago | 1 comments
How to Comply with the UK's Online Safety Act; Block the UK (geoblockthe.uk)
The UK's Online Safety Act requires operators of "user to user services" to read through hundreds (if not thousands) of pages of documentation to attempt to craft "meaningful" risk assessments and 'child access assessments' or face £18,000,000 fines, even imprisonment.
UK Law, Online Safety, Censorship, Geoblocking
18 points by Jigsy 77 days ago | 0 comments
Do big tech companies have a 'duty of care' for users? (theconversation.com)
Large social media companies should have to proactively remove harmful content from their platforms, undergo regular “risk assessments” and face hefty fines if they don’t comply, according to an independent review of online safety laws in Australia.
Social Media, Online Safety, Law, Regulation, Technology
8 points by devonnull 81 days ago | 1 comments
UK Users: Lobsters Needs Your Help with the Online Safety Act (lobste.rs)
The UK’s Online Safety Act is scheduled to take effect on March 16, 2025. Lobsters can’t comply with it and needs your help to avoid having to geoblock the UK.
Online Safety, Law, Technology, UK
9 points by gjvc 95 days ago | 0 comments
Websites hosting pornographic content must have age verification for UK users (news.sky.com)
Websites that host pornographic or other harmful content must have "robust" age verification in place for UK users by July at the latest, Ofcom has said.
Pornography, Regulation, UK, Online Safety
5 points by intunderflow 100 days ago | 2 comments
Lobste.rs considers geoblocking UK due to Online Safety Act (lobste.rs)
The UK’s Online Safety Act is scheduled to take effect on March 16, 2025. Lobsters can’t comply with it and needs your help to avoid having to geoblock the UK.
Technology, Censorship, Politics, UK, Online Safety
27 points by sealeck 109 days ago | 1 comments
Death of a Forum: How the UK's Online Safety Act Is Killing Communities (techdirt.com)
We’ve been warning for years that the UK’s Online Safety Act would be a disaster for the open internet.
Online Safety, Regulation, Censorship, Internet, UK
43 points by A1kmm 126 days ago | 3 comments
Lfgss shutting down 16th March 2025 (day before Online Safety Act is enforced) (lfgss.com)
Online Safety, Cycling, Community
798 points by buro9 131 days ago | 544 comments
UK's Online Safety Act comes into force (ofcom.org.uk)
People in the UK will be better protected from illegal harms online, as tech firms are now legally required to start taking action to tackle criminal activity on their platforms, and make them safer by design.
UK Law, Online Safety, Regulation, Tech Companies, Social Media
212 points by AndrewDucker 131 days ago | 363 comments
Last-Minute Update to the Kids Online Safety Act Still Fails to Protect Kids (eff.org)
Late last week, the Senate released yet another version of the Kids Online Safety Act, written, reportedly, with the assistance of X CEO Linda Yaccarino in a flawed attempt to address the critical free speech issues inherent in the bill.
Online Safety, Legislation, Free Speech, Social Media
30 points by verdverm 134 days ago | 1 comments
Chatbots urged teen to self-harm, suggested murdering parents, lawsuit says (arstechnica.com)
Parents suing want Character.AI to delete its models trained on kids' data.
Artificial Intelligence, Lawsuits, Child Safety, Online Safety, Social Media
11 points by pseudolus 137 days ago | 1 comments
"AI pimping" accounts are exploding on social media (marketplace.org)
People behind the accounts paste AI-generated faces on the bodies of real women. There too many to track, says 404 Media's Jason Koebler.
Artificial Intelligence, Social Media, Online Safety, Misinformation
6 points by toomuchtodo 141 days ago | 0 comments
Telegram U-turns and joins child safety scheme (bbc.com)
After years of ignoring pleas to sign up to child protection schemes, the controversial messaging app Telegram has agreed to work with an internationally recognised body to stop the spread of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Telegram, Child Safety, Messaging Apps, Online Safety
28 points by tartoran 143 days ago | 36 comments
What can we learn from the Andrew Tate data breach? (archive.org)
What can we learn from theAndrew Tate data breach?
Data Breaches, Privacy, Security, Online Safety
16 points by icw_nru 147 days ago | 5 comments
Australian Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024 (aph.gov.au)
Australia, Online Safety, Legislation, Social Media
34 points by arunc 148 days ago | 13 comments
Now Online Safety Act is law, UK has 'priorities' but won't explain 'spy clause' (theregister.com)
The UK government has set out plans detailing how it will use the new law it has created to control online platforms and social media – with one telling exception.
Online Safety, Legislation, United Kingdom, Social Media, Privacy
7 points by beardyw 156 days ago | 0 comments
Social media ban for children under 16 is introduced in Australia's Parliament (apnews.com)
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia’s communications minister introduced a world-first law into Parliament on Thursday that would ban children under 16 from social media, saying online safety was one of parents’ toughest challenges.
Social Media, Children, Australia, Legislation, Online Safety
17 points by nomilk 156 days ago | 7 comments