They say it’s about ‘Safety.’ critics say it’s about control.
A look at new internet laws/proposals in the UK, EU, and US that could change how you browse, chat, and play.
Have you recently been asked for your ID to read an article, listen to music, or join an online discussion? If you live in the UK, you probably have. And if you live in the EU or the US, you might be next.
Across the Western world, a wave of new legislation is reshaping the internet. Under the banner of “online safety” and “protecting children”, governments are passing sweeping laws that give them and the tech companies they regulate unprecedented power over what you can see, say, and do online.
While the goal of protecting children is something nearly everyone supports, a growing chorus of digital rights advocates, cybersecurity experts, and ordinary citizens warns that these laws are not what they seem. They argue that these acts are creating a new global infrastructure for censorship and mass surveillance, fundamentally changing the nature of online freedom and privacy. This isn’t a single, coordinated plot, but a convergence of similar ideas leading to the same outcome: a more controlled, less private internet.
Let’s break down what’s happening, what it means for you, and how people are fighting back.
The Government’s Hammer
There is three major legislative pushes in the UK, EU, and US that is forming the core of this new digital landscape. While they have different names, they share a similar DNA.
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In the United Kingdom: The Online Safety Act (OSA) This law, which came into force in July 2025, forces platforms from social media sites to search engines to police their users for vaguely defined “harmful” content. The threat of massive fines up to 10% of a company’s global turnover has created a powerful chilling effect. To avoid risk, platforms are over-censoring. Since the law’s rollout, users have reported being blocked from accessing everything from sexual health support groups and news subreddits to hobbyist forums about hamsters. To access much of this legal content, adults are now required to prove their age by uploading photo IDs or submitting to facial scans (11)
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In the European Union: “ChatControl” This controversial proposal, which recently gained the support of 19 member states, takes a more direct approach to surveillance (16). It would force communication services like WhatsApp, Signal, and Telegram to scan all private messages, photos, and videos for suspicious content before they are encrypted and sent. Security experts have unanimously condemned this, explaining that it’s technically impossible to do without creating a “backdoor” that would destroy the security of private conversations for everyone, leaving them vulnerable to hackers and authoritarian governments. Despite this, the Danish EU Presidency is pushing for a vote by October 2025. (17)(18)(19)(20)(22)(23)(24)(25)
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In the United States: KOSA and the SCREEN Act America is heading down a similar path. The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), reintroduced with strong bipartisan support in 2025, would impose a “duty of care” on platforms to prevent harms like “anxiety” and “depression” (31) (32). Civil liberties groups like the ACLU argue this is unconstitutional censorship, as it would allow politically motivated state attorneys general to sue platforms for hosting content they dislike by claiming it causes “anxiety” (34). At the same time, the SCREEN Act would mandate age verification for any website with content deemed “harmful to minors”, a standard, that critics say is so broad it could apply to everything from art sites to fanfiction archives, effectively ending online anonymity (39) (40) (41)
The corporate squeeze: When activists target your wallet
It’s not just governments tightening the screws. A powerful new form of censorship is coming from the private sector, driven by activist groups targeting the financial heart of the internet.
In July 2025, an Australian activist group called Collective Shout launched a campaign targeting payment processors like Mastercard and VISA (56). Their goal was to force the gaming platforms Steam and itch.io to remove hundreds of games the group deemed offensive, including those with themes of sexual violence.
The strategy worked. Fearing the loss of their ability to process payments, which is an existential threat for any online business, both Steam and itch.io quickly removed or hid thousands of adult-themed games (58). The purge was so broad that it swept up many games with LGBTQ+ themes and even non-sexual content, causing outrage among developers and players.
While Mastercard later issued a statement denying it had required specific restrictions, the incident revealed a new and dangerous reality that a handful of financial companies, pressured by a small activist group, can now effectively set global speech codes without any democratic oversight (59)(60)
This could spread to more than just games, like TV-shows and movies.
What this means for you: The real-world consequences
This combination of government laws and corporate pressure is creating a digital world with serious new risks.
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The ID problem and the inevitable data breach The common thread in all these laws is the requirement to verify your age and identity. This forces websites to collect and store massive databases of our most sensitive information, like driver’s licenses and facial scans. Cybersecurity experts call these databases “honeypots” for hackers and a “ticking time-bomb for privacy” (49) (50). Think these risks are just theoretical? Think again. In July 2025, the Tea app which required ID verification was hacked. The personal data of its users, including approximately 13,000 photo IDs and over 1.1 million private messages discussing intensely personal topics like abortion and domestic abuse, were leaked online (51)(52). This is exactly the kind of system these new laws are forcing websites to build, putting everyone at risk of identity theft, blackmail, and even physical stalking.
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The hydra effect: Making the internet less safe There’s another problem, this kind of censorship often backfires. When you aggressively police the mainstream internet, controversial or illegal content doesn’t just disappear. It moves to darker, harder-to-police corners of the web, like the darknet (67). This “Hydra effect” can actually make it harder for law enforcement to track dangerous actors, thereby making society less safe while restricting the freedoms of law-abiding citizens.
The Resistance: How People Are Fighting Back
Faced with this new reality, people are not staying silent.
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The VPN Surge: The most immediate reaction to the UK’s Online Safety Act was a massive rush to use Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), which can bypass age gates and protect user privacy. Some providers saw a staggering 1,400% jump in UK sign-ups (50)
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Grassroots Action: A petition to repeal the UK’s law has gathered nearly half a million signatures, while another protesting the video game censorship has over 147,000 (58). Gamers have organized campaigns to flood Mastercard and VISA with calls and emails, pushing back against corporate censorship.
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Organized Advocacy: Digital rights groups like the Open Rights Group in the UK, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and ACLU in the US, are fighting these laws in the courts and in the halls of government, arguing for privacy and free speech.
Your digital toolkit: What you can do to protect yourself
While the legal and political battles continue, individuals can take steps to protect their own digital freedom and privacy.
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Use a VPN (Wisely): A VPN is a powerful tool for bypassing restrictions and protecting your privacy. But avoid “free” VPNs, which often make money by selling your data. Instead opt for a reputable, paid service with a strict, independently audited “no-logs” policy (78)
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Switch Your Browser: Mainstream browsers like Google Chrome are built for data collection. Consider switching to privacy-focused alternatives like Firefox (with its privacy settings hardened) or Brave (79). For maximum protection against tracking, you can use the Mullvad Browser or the Tor Browser (79)
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Secure Your Communications: Move your private conversations to end-to-end encrypted services. Signal is a great choice for messaging and calls, while Proton Mail and Tuta offer secure email (84) For a decentralized alternative to platforms like Discord, consider services built on the Matrix protocol (85)
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Search Privately: Stop feeding your data to search engines that build a profile on you. Use private alternatives like DuckDuckGo or Brave Search (87)
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Practice Digital Hygiene: Beyond tools, adopt a critical mindset. Be skeptical of any service that demands your personal information. Minimize your digital footprint, and use tools to strip identifying metadata from photos before you upload them (94).
Actionable Steps for Citizens: The three-tiered defense strategy
| Tier of Action | Specific Action | How-To / Key Resources |
|---|---|---|
| Political | Contact your national MP/MEP | Find UK MP contact info on the Parliament website. Find EU MEPs via europarl.europa.eu. Frame your message around economic harm and rights violations. |
| Political | Support digital rights NGOs | Donate to or join EDRi, Open Rights Group, or EFF. Participate in their organized campaigns like “Stop Scanning Me”. |
| Economic | Pressure payment processors | Join coordinated call/email campaigns targeting Mastercard and VISA customer service to protest financial censorship. |
| Economic | Vote with your wallet | Support platforms and creators who explicitly value and protect user privacy and free expression. Seek out and use alternative payment systems. |
| Technological | Use a secure VPN | Avoid free VPNs. Choose a reputable, audited, no-logs service like Mullvad or ProtonVPN to bypass geo-restrictions. |
| Technological | Encrypt Your Digital Life | Use Signal/Matrix for messaging and Proton Mail or Tuta for email. Use a privacy-respecting browser like Firefox or Brave. Make the steps towards decentalized platforms like the Matrix platform for chat and the fediverse services for social media. |
The big picture: A fight for the future of the internet
The debate over these laws is often framed as a choice between freedom and safety. But critics argue this is a false choice. They contend that it’s possible to target specific criminal acts without resorting to mass surveillance that treats every citizen as a suspect and without censoring legal speech.
These are not isolated issues happening in faraway countries. They are part of a global trend that will determine what the internet looks like for the next generation. The outcome will decide whether the digital world remains a space for open expression, private conversation, and diverse communities, or becomes a tightly controlled environment where our every click is monitored and our speech is filtered. The fight for the future of the internet is happening now, and it affects us all.
If you are more interested, see the full report or listen to AI generated “podcast” about it or check out the sources.