Hi, I was wondering with all of the talk about internet bans and censorship in America, is it possible that AO3 will be affected by similar(ish) things going on in the UK?
thank you so much!!
It won't affect AO3 itself, since it is hosted in the USA, but it might affect your access to it, assuming you are UK based. It probably won't thought.
Almost definitely won't, I've been seeing internet censorship ideas being sprouted for years (way over a decade, almost since I was a little kid) in the UK but it always gets pushed onto the back burner because of more pressing issues like a cost of living crisis.
We're also not a country to outright ban internet domains, we might try to restrict things but it rarely works, like being over 13 to use Instagram, it rarely works in practice.
It just sounds scary because the government push big ideas but settle for much less, it's mostly public relations, it's like how striking workers ask for much higher raises to "test the water" and see where people draw the line of acceptability. Never Under Ask, Always Over Ask.
Just remember, if the government tries to ban NSFW content you can always bring up the MP who was caught watching NSFW content during parliament or the multiple MPs who used work devices for personal reasons.
AO3 and the OTW are watching developments in the UK closely and will work to protect users' rights to express themselves in whatever ways we can.
We encourage people to contact their representatives where appropriate to ensure that laws and regulations that impose heavy burdens on sites exempt noncommercial sites like AO3.
In the event that AO3 or the OTW was threatened, we would do all in our power to protect fan expression. If you have concerns about specific laws, we recommend you reach out to our Legal team.
Unfortunately the UK has already passed their new law without an exception for non-commerical sites. Could an update be given on what the current legislation will mean for UK AO3 users?
We have passed your suggestion of a news post covering the UK's Online Safety Act to Communications. For future reference, if you'd like to suggest a post, please contact Communications as they handle writing and coordinating news posts.
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