The government has defended the Online Safety Act after X criticised the legislation as a constraint on free expression. In a post titled What Happens When Oversight Becomes Overreach, the platform criticised the act and the breadth of UK regulation.

The rules, which took effect on 25 July, require online platforms to prevent children from accessing harmful content such as pornography or material that encourages suicide. The act also imposes a duty to reduce the risk of illegal content and includes age-verification requirements for accessing pornographic material in the UK. The government said the law is not designed to censor political debate and emphasised that platforms face penalties for non-compliance, including fines of up to 10% of global revenue or £18 million, whichever is greater.

Ofcom this week announced investigations into 34 pornography sites over new age-check requirements. Separately, Technology Secretary Peter Kyle was involved in a public exchange with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage over the party’s pledge to repeal the Act, with Kyle suggesting Farage aligned with extreme pornographers.