US raises OSA concerns, OpenAI's 'permissive approach' and moderation on stage
Hello and welcome to Everything in Moderation's Week in Review, your need-to-know news and analysis about platform policy, content moderation and internet regulation. It's written by me, Ben Whitelaw and supported by members like you.
Free speech, but make it American. That’s been the implicit logic of platform policy for years — except that, as you'll see from the stories in today's edition, it’s not so implicit any more.
But, as the eagle-eyed have noticed and Mike and I discussed in this week's podcast, it is selectively applied. Which is what makes it so hard to predict right now.
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Here's the stories you need to be aware of this week — BW
Today's edition is in partnership with Checkstep, the all-in-one Trust & Safety Platform
Checkstep's founder Guillaume had the pleasure of meeting many EiM readers during the Trust & Safety Summit, Forum and our very own Trust & Safety in Gaming Breakfast!
Meeting regulatory requirements was one of the growing concerns he heard the most:
- How to identify the relevant regulations?
- How to translate them into features you can build or buy?
- What vendors can you buy solutions from?
He discussed this during a workshop he held with various legal experts and Trust & Safety Leaders. We've decided to summarise the information shared in a cheat sheet to give you all the relevant information at a glance.
Policies
New and emerging internet policy and online speech regulation
The Online Safety Act has been targeted by White House memos in recent months and now we’re seeing US state department officials turning the screw with Ofcom. The Guardian reported this week that a delegation from the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour (DRL) met the UK regulator to raise concerns about the OSA and the how it risked "infringing free speech". Ofcom claimed the meeting was part of its “regular engagement with a range of international stakeholders”.
And another thing: It's worth noting that the DRL is also following the case of Livia Tossici-Bolt, a retired medical scientist who was recently prosecuted for breaching the safe access zone outside an abortion clinic in Bournemouth, UK. The Guardian noted that Tossici-Bolt’s legal fees have been covered by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a US Christian group with links to the White House and a growing UK presence. Her verdict is due today so expect this to become a talking point in British media for the foreseeable.