ORG criticises Ofcom's OSA additional safety measures proposals
25/09/2025 | Open Rights Group
The Open Rights Group (ORG) has criticised new proposals from Ofcom to implement the next stage of the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA), arguing they risk censorship and privacy violations. While supporting the goals of protecting children and vulnerable users from content such as child sexual abuse material, the ORG warns that the proposals contained in its Additional Safety Measures consultation introduce a new wave of censorship, government control, and age verification barriers.
The proposals would require anyone who live streams to prove they are an adult to enable audience interaction. The ORG calls this "unrealistic and unfair" for teenagers and warns that it risks creating new barriers to free expression. Furthermore, it argues that these age verification measures could disproportionately exclude individuals from lower socio-economic groups who may not have a passport or driver's licence. The ORG is also concerned that the proposals for "highly effective age assurance" could involve facial or document scans, compromising user privacy by requiring online services to collect more personal data.
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