A Wikipedia organization has warned that the website could become inaccessible to UK readers if it fails to comply with online safety legislation.
The Online Safety Bill includes some requirements regarding verification and age-gating. Wikipedia has stated that these measures are incompatible with their open-source nature, which is why the Wikimedia Foundation believes there needs to be a change. As far as their content is concerned, they will not restrict the age range of users.
Wikimedia's vice president of global advocacy, Rebecca MacKinnon, made the controversial statement to the BBC. In this statement, she stated that such verification would "violate our commitment to collecting minimal data about our readers and contributors" regarding such verification.
As a result of the law, which will come into force in 2024, companies that offer tech services will be required to ensure users are protected from harmful or illegal content. Furthermore, it requires that services likely to be accessed by children undergo age verification to comply with the law.
Wikimedia UK says certain Wikipedia material is expected to trigger age verification at some point in the future. This includes content about sexuality that is educational. If one complies with this regulation, it would require reworking a major portion of the technical system.
A government spokesperson said that these requirements would target only those services with the highest risk to children in terms of safety. Moreover, Wikipedia argues that it is unlikely to fall under the most strict regulations established under the bill. A foundation suggests a similar approach to that used by the EU Digital Services Act, according to the foundation. A centralized moderation model driven by employees and a volunteer community model implemented by Wikipedia can be distinguished from each other by this feature.
Wikimedia figures worry that the website could be blocked due to non-compliance with the law, while the government has assured them that only high-risk services will be subject to age verification.
In the interview, Rebecca MacKinnon from the Wikimedia Foundation further stated that the bill would violate the organization's commitment to collecting minimal information about readers and contributors. At present, Wikipedia users have no obligation to provide any information. They do not need to create a profile or verify their identity to access the content.
Ofcom will enforce the revised regulations on websites that do not comply with them. In addition, it will impose heavy fines for breaking the revised rules.
It is to combat this issue that Wikipedia is advocating for an 'encyclopedia exemption' under which public goods and knowledge created by the public can be protected from censorship, centralized moderation, and the kind of users that come with centralized content platforms.
In response to updated legislation that calls for platforms to prevent underage visitors from entering their services, the foundation announced it would not restrict its sites based on their age.
Despite the government's assurances, only the most high-risk content will be moderated and access may be restricted to those 18 years and older, which only adds to the increased concerns. In the case of Wikipedia, since it is community-run and all the information can be accessed, it will not be governed by large corporations or regulated by governments in the same way as Google.