"Mr Burnham arrives in office promising to govern differently. Every incoming Prime Minister says something similar. Online safety is one of the clearest early tests of whether the difference is real" www.cleanuptheinternet.org.uk/post/four-wa...

Four ways the new government could get online safety back on track

Mr Burnham arrives in office promising to govern differently. Every incoming Prime Minister says something similar. Online safety is one of the clearest early tests of whether the difference is real, ...

cleanuptheinternet.org.uk

Social Media Platforms love to claim user verification is too hard, too costly, or that most users don't want it. Yet LinkedIn has now passed 100m+ verified users. We examine their approach in detail - and suggest some lessons for regulators www.cleanuptheinternet.org.uk/post/online-...

LinkedIn's user verification sets the bar. Now regulators must raise it.

This note examines LinkedIn’s approach to identity verification. It considers its strengths and areas for improvement – and what lessons regulators could draw from this example when designing effectiv...

cleanuptheinternet.org.uk

Later this month, Clean Up The Internet will be seeing Ofcom in court over its refusal to disclose basic information about its dealings with tech companies. Our founder @stephenstroud.bsky.social explains the background to the case and why it matters www.cleanuptheinternet.org.uk/post/ofcom-l...

Ofcom faces legal challenge

Ofcom's refusal to disclose dealings with Big Tech companies subject to legal action

cleanuptheinternet.org.uk

Clean Up The Internet's founder @stephenstroud.bsky.social shares thoughts on recent developments in the EU, including a fine for X over its deceptive monetised blue ticks, and potential measures to tackle fake accounts in the Democracy Shield initiative www.cleanuptheinternet.org.uk/post/eu-comm...

New polling commissioned by @cleanuptheinternet.org.uk from @opiniumresearch.bsky.social ahead of today's debate on the #onlinesafetyact: ✅ 70% are supportive of the OSA ✅ 49% think its implementation is too slow ✅Support consistent across political parties www.onlinesafetyact.net/analysis/new...

"If Ofcom doesn’t give platforms clear enough guidance, there’s every risk of UK users encountering social media verification systems which don’t accept common forms of ID (e.g the Britcard), or require them to hand over excessive data" www.cleanuptheinternet.org.uk/post/what-co...

What could the UK government’s “BritCard” mean for identity verification on social media?

Whilst Clean Up The Internet remains agnostic on the need for mandatory Government ID, there are clear potential synergies between the BritCard and social media identity verification. But for them to ...

cleanuptheinternet.org.uk

"Ofcom's Guidance on user identity verification should be seen as an acid-test of whether it's going to do its bit to deliver the government’s crime reduction ambitions" Clean Up The Internet's founder @stephenstroud.bsky.social www.cleanuptheinternet.org.uk/post/reducin...

Reducing crime when money is tight: is Ofcom doing its bit?

Action on fake and anonymous accounts should be seen as an acid-test as to whether Ofcom is going to doing its bit to deliver the government’s crime reduction ambitions.

cleanuptheinternet.org.uk

Former Met Police Superintendent, Dal Babu #C4News "We're missing the key issue: how do we regulate social media, who are responsible for spreading a lot of the hate crime, the misinformation, the far right accounts, that we saw in Southport"

"Ofcom's Guidance on user identity verification should be seen as an acid-test of whether it's going to do its bit to deliver the government’s crime reduction ambitions" Clean Up The Internet's founder @stephenstroud.bsky.social www.cleanuptheinternet.org.uk/post/reducin...

Reducing crime when money is tight: is Ofcom doing its bit?

Action on fake and anonymous accounts should be seen as an acid-test as to whether Ofcom is going to doing its bit to deliver the government’s crime reduction ambitions.

cleanuptheinternet.org.uk

"It’s not pragmatic to see something as “a price worth paying” unless you’re clear what the price is. And watering down the UK’s recently enacted online safety laws has the potential to be very expensive indeed." @stephenstroud.bsky.social www.cleanuptheinternet.org.uk/post/us-uk-t...

US-UK Trade Deal - any negotiation around UK’s online safety laws must take into account the true costs of watering them down

Any watering down the UK’s recently enacted online safety laws has the potential to be very expensive indeed.

cleanuptheinternet.org.uk

This is just too important to get wrong.

Clean Up The Internet@cleanuptheinternet.org.uk · last yr.

“Watering down online safety rules to get a trade deal with Trump would be a huge mistake. Rules to keep our children safe, and to protect our society from hate and extremism, simply shouldn’t be up for negotiation." - our founder, @stephenstroud.bsky.social www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...

“Watering down online safety rules to get a trade deal with Trump would be a huge mistake. Rules to keep our children safe, and to protect our society from hate and extremism, simply shouldn’t be up for negotiation." - our founder, @stephenstroud.bsky.social www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...

Starmer warned children will be at risk if he agrees US free speech demands

Claims that vice-president JD Vance is still pushing for online safety and hate speech laws to be repealed have alarmed campaigners

independent.co.uk

To put this in perspective, last year OnlyFans reported global revenue of $1.3billion and pre-tax profits of $658m. So this fine represents a 0.2% hit. www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safet...

Ofcom fines provider of OnlyFans £1.05 million

Ofcom has today fined the provider of OnlyFans, Fenix International Limited, £1.05 million for failing to accurately respond to formal requests for information about its age assurance measures on the ...

ofcom.org.uk

LBC are having an online safety day. This is something that has been part of my professional life to various extents for over 17 years. They have touched on algorithms and showing in appropriate content to young people. For the platforms, that content IS a choice. 1/2

As the UK Parliament's Science, Innovation and Technology Committee continues its Inquiry into Social media, misinformation and harmful algorithms, here's a link to the evidence we submitted, which has been published on the committee website: www.cleanuptheinternet.org.uk/post/our-sub...

Our submission to the Science, Innovation and Technology Select Committee Inquiry

Clean Up The Internet submitted evidence to the UK Parliament’s Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, which is conducting an inquiry into social media, misinformation, and harmful algorithms, ...

cleanuptheinternet.org.uk

⏰ Starting at 930am. Watch it here: parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/... #onlinesafetyact

Parliamentlive.tv

Westminster Hall

parliamentlive.tv

Online Safety Act Network@osanetwork.bsky.social · last yr.

Tomorrow, Sir Jeremy Wright MP will lead a Westminster Hall debate on #onlinesafetyact implementation - a subject very close to our heart. So, for anyone interested in what's in the Act, what's missing and what's coming next, we've got just the thing. 👇 www.onlinesafetyact.net/analysis/a-g...

I did know that this kind of thing was possible. But it’s pretty worrisome just how easy it is now. Jim is being responsible but others won’t be. I think @cleanuptheinternet.org.uk are right. We need “verified human” account labels

Jim Williams@lintywilliams.bsky.social · last yr.

Regarding this news story.... www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... It's proposing: Welcome to Post-Tory Britain: Boil your water, dodge the potholes, hope your GP calls back. We deserve better. Fix the pipes, fix the system, fix the country. #InvestInCommunities #WaterCrisis

Some good articles in this week's Economist on the scale, sophistication, and general awfulness of the online scamming industry - including useful detail on how fake social media accounts are one of their key tools.

Online scams may already be as big a scourge as illegal drugs

And they are growing fast

economist.com

Some good articles in this week's Economist on the scale, sophistication, and general awfulness of the online scamming industry - including useful detail on how fake social media accounts are one of their key tools.

Online scams may already be as big a scourge as illegal drugs

And they are growing fast

economist.com

Chris articulates the question that so many of us have been asking for some time now. @cleanuptheinternet.org.uk @andyburrows.bsky.social

Chris Blackhurst@chrisblackhurst.bsky.social · 2y ago

www.independent.co.uk/news/busines...

"Sorting out social media is one of the urgent challenges of our age, and plodding regulatory conservatism isn’t good enough." Spot on from @chrisblackhurst.bsky.social in the @the-independent.com www.independent.co.uk/news/busines...

In the race to make social media safer, the UK is lagging dangerously behind

In an era of misinformation and damaging content, urgent action is needed to make the internet a safer place, writes Chris Blackhurst. So why is the regulator dragging its feet?

independent.co.uk

We have a serious problem with the pace and vigour of enforcement of laws brought in supposedly to create "the safest online environment in the world". Our MPs must be astonished at how little fruit their legislative efforts are bearing. @cleanuptheinternet.org.uk @lukecharters.bsky.social

Andy Burrows@andyburrows.bsky.social · 2y ago

This is a great upsum of why civil society is so concerned about Ofcom’s flawed application of the #OnlineSafetyAct

This is a great upsum of why civil society is so concerned about Ofcom’s flawed application of the #OnlineSafetyAct

Clean Up The Internet@cleanuptheinternet.org.uk · 2y ago

Clean Up The Internet's founder, @stephenstroud.bsky.social , sets out why Ofcom's Illegal Content Codes are extremely disappointing - and why it makes no sense to delay user verification measures to tackle risks from fake and anonymous accounts www.cleanuptheinternet.org.uk/post/ofcom-p...

Clean Up The Internet's founder, @stephenstroud.bsky.social , sets out why Ofcom's Illegal Content Codes are extremely disappointing - and why it makes no sense to delay user verification measures to tackle risks from fake and anonymous accounts www.cleanuptheinternet.org.uk/post/ofcom-p...

Ofcom publishes weakened Illegal Content Codes, and confirms delays to implementing user verification measures

Ofcom’s Illegal Content Codes are disappointing. A failure to include a measure on user identity verification is just one example of a flawed, overly timid approach.

cleanuptheinternet.org.uk

This needed to be said.

Clean Up The Internet@cleanuptheinternet.org.uk · 2y ago

Clean Up The Internet's founder, @stephenstroud.bsky.social , sets out why Ofcom's Illegal Content Codes are extremely disappointing - and why it makes no sense to delay user verification measures to tackle risks from fake and anonymous accounts www.cleanuptheinternet.org.uk/post/ofcom-p...

Clean Up The Internet's founder, @stephenstroud.bsky.social , sets out why Ofcom's Illegal Content Codes are extremely disappointing - and why it makes no sense to delay user verification measures to tackle risks from fake and anonymous accounts www.cleanuptheinternet.org.uk/post/ofcom-p...

Ofcom publishes weakened Illegal Content Codes, and confirms delays to implementing user verification measures

Ofcom’s Illegal Content Codes are disappointing. A failure to include a measure on user identity verification is just one example of a flawed, overly timid approach.

cleanuptheinternet.org.uk

Huge congratulations to Clean Up The Internet's founder, @stephenstroud.bsky.social, on being named one of the Big Issue's "Changemakers of 2025" - richly deserved, for his work on Clean Up The Internet as well as the amazingly impactful @lawforchange.uk project! www.bigissue.com/news/activis...

Big Issue's Changemakers of 2025: Politics and activism

The Changemakers driving change in 2025 - whether by taking big business and institutions to task or giving young people a say in politics.

bigissue.com

We've published our response - co-signed by 23 organisations & experts from our network - on the @ofcom.bsky.social #onlinesafetyact #illegalharms codes. Do read it to understand the depth of feeling across civil society about the regulator's approach. ⬇️ www.onlinesafetyact.net/analysis/sta...

Statement on Ofcom's Illegal Harms Code of Practice

Statement from the Online Safety Act Network in response to Ofcom's final Illegal Harms Codes of Practice

onlinesafetyact.net

As bluesky gains more legit users, it risks also gaining more bad actors using fake accounts to spread scams, disinformation, and hate. To avoid this, @safety.bsky.app needs to improve its approach to user verification.

DatNoFact@datnofact.bsky.social · 2y ago

As clever as using domains for verification is, I don't think it's enough on its own. Bluesky has a labelling system. They really should implement a verification labeller that everyone's subscribed to by default, and Bluesky can use to then manually verify accounts that apply for it.

One thing the government could do is to issue clear instructions to @ofcom.bsky.social to pick up the pace and vigour of enforcement of the Online Safety Act. @cleanuptheinternet.org.uk