Libera Chat receives legal advice that the Online Safety Act does not apply to

6 months ago

Libera Chat received increased donations and support after their last post.
Legal advice suggests Libera Chat may not be subject to the UK's Online Safety Act (OSA) due to insufficient UK links.
Libera Chat plans to maintain its current safety measures without introducing ID requirements.
The OSA's applicability is vague, with Ofcom having broad discretion in enforcement.
Libera Chat is based in Sweden, minimizing UK government authority over it.
Some online communities block UK IPs to avoid OSA, but Libera Chat aims to avoid such measures.
The OSA applies to services with significant UK users, UK-targeted markets, or material risk of harm to UK users.
Libera Chat does not specifically target UK users nor pose significant harm risks.
Ofcom's current enforcement focus is on high-risk file and image hosts, not services like Libera Chat.
Libera Chat opposes ID requirements, citing privacy risks and lack of justification.

Hasty Briefsbeta