Wikipedia Initiates Legal Action Against Online Safety Act

The organization behind Wikipedia has initiated a legal challenge against the UK’s Online Safety Act, expressing concern that the specific obligations imposed by the act could lead to increased online vandalism and misinformation appearing on the platform.

The Wikimedia Foundation announced it was contesting the thresholds of the act, which would classify Wikipedia as a category one service under the new regulations. This classification subjects it to the strictest responsibilities for protecting users from harmful online content.

This category requires Wikipedia to implement user verification and content filtering measures, which the organization argues would undermine its community of volunteer editors who collaboratively review and enhance the site’s content.

The foundation indicated that while full user identity verification wouldn’t be mandated, it would be necessary to permit any user to prevent unverified users from editing or deleting content they have posted, disrupting the current editorial structure.

The platform warned that such changes could allow malicious users to readily publish harmful, false, and misleading information and block Wikipedia’s dedicated editors from removing it.

“Wikipedia remains free of harmful content due to the crucial contributions of countless public members, who actively review and refine the content on the site to ensure it remains neutral, fact-based, and well-sourced,” the Wikimedia Foundation stated in a blog post.

Dedicated volunteer communities, operating in over 300 languages, collectively govern nearly every aspect of Wikipedia’s daily operations.

Their ability to enforce policies and review or edit contributions from other volunteers is crucial to the platform’s success in combating vandalism, abuse, and misinformation.

The blog post noted: “For instance, volunteer users worked tirelessly to ensure Wikipedia provided neutral and reliable details about the Southport murders, even as misinformation and race-baiting proliferated unchecked on social media.

“However, if Wikipedia is classified as category one, the Wikimedia Foundation will be required to verify users’ identities.

“This particular rule does not mandate that every user undergo verification — yet, due to a related requirement, the foundation would also have to enable other (potentially harmful) users to obstruct unverified users from correcting or removing any content they post.

“This could result in significant amounts of vandalism, disinformation, or abuse going unchecked on Wikipedia, unless volunteers around the globe, of all ages, undergo identity verification.”

The Online Safety Act is being gradually implemented this year, with social media and other platforms that host user-generated content facing a range of responsibilities to protect users, particularly children, from exposure to harmful or illegal content.

Organizations that violate the new regulations could face fines of up to £18 million or 10 percent of global revenue, whichever is greater.

The Wikimedia Foundation clarified that it does not oppose online safety regulations or a category system; however, it believes being designated as a category one service would lead to excessive regulation and compel action.

It added: “Although the UK Government believes this category one obligation (among many) would effectively support police powers ‘to tackle criminal anonymous abuse’ on social media, Wikipedia operates differently than social media.

“Wikipedia thrives on the collaboration of empowered volunteer users who collectively determine the content on the site. This new obligation would impose significant burdens, especially for users lacking accessibility to digital ID.

“Moreover, it could put users at risk of data breaches, stalking, frivolous lawsuits, or even imprisonment by authoritarian regimes. Privacy is foundational to ensuring user safety and empowerment.

“This framework, designed for social media, includes several category one responsibilities that could severely affect Wikipedia.”

An Ofcom spokesperson commented, “We acknowledge the Wikimedia Foundation’s decision to contest the categorization regulations established by the Secretary of State under the Online Safety Act.”