Wikipedia’s Legal Setback: UK Online Safety Act Unleashes a New Privacy Battle Royale

Wikipedia loses legal bout against the UK’s tech secretary over the Online Safety Act 2023. The Wikimedia Foundation argues that the broad criteria unfairly lump it with social media and porn sites. Despite a court loss, the judge hints at potential flexibility, leaving Wikipedia to fight another day for its contributors’ privacy.

3P
Published: August 11, 2025 4:11 pmAdded: August 11, 2025 at 9:28 amAssembled by: The Editor
Pro Dashboard

Hot Take:

Wikipedia just got a crash course in UK legal acrobatics, but it seems the online encyclopedia is not quite ready to roll over and play dead. Watch out, UK tech secretary, because Wikipedia’s not going down without a fight! Who knew online safety could be such a gladiatorial sport?

Key Points:

  • Wikipedia lost a legal battle against the UK’s tech secretary regarding the Online Safety Act 2023.
  • The Wikimedia Foundation argued against being categorized similarly to social media and pornography platforms.
  • The court dismissed Wikipedia’s initial claims but allowed for future judicial reviews on two grounds.
  • Ofcom has yet to determine if Wikipedia is a Category 1 service.
  • Wikipedia’s main concern is the impact on user privacy if classified under Category 1.

Membership Required

 You must be a member to access this content.

View Membership Levels
Already a member? Log in here
The Nimble Nerd
powered by the NSA, er,  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Confessional Booth of Our Digital Sins

Okay, deep breath, let's get this over with. In the grand act of digital self-sabotage, we've littered this site with cookies. Yep, we did that. Why? So your highness can have a 'premium' experience or whatever. These traitorous cookies hide in your browser, eagerly waiting to welcome you back like a guilty dog that's just chewed your favorite shoe. And, if that's not enough, they also tattle on which parts of our sad little corner of the web you obsess over. Feels dirty, doesn't it?