Short Version
The UK government is forcing us to remove the Current Affairs forum, and NSFW type threads. Maybe also user to user private messaging.
Google 'Online Safety Act' if interested.
Long Rambling Version;
We're of course, an Everton Forum.
But in our 18+ years (not one of you wished the forum a happy birthday last week ffs), we've become a community beyond Everton.
Since 2017, we've sought to best accomodate 'current affairs' discussion in it's own sub forum - out the way, with a 'enter at own risk'/hands off moderation policy.
It's worked well.
Or as well as it could have done. Online. Politics.
However, the Online Safety Act (OSA) in the UK comes into effect on March 17, 2025. Someone much more articulate than I provides some commentary here. Also some more background info and it's implications here.
The implications of the act has already caused forums in their entirety to close, others have closed the ability to post. Some discussion on here of this act from December.
Moderating a Everton forum is challenging enough - we don't have the resource, ability, diplomacy to moderate politics in a way that would make us compliant with the act. Even if we did, I don't think we'd have the inclination to. Nor be prepared to accept the personal liability to do so.
Sadly then, we need to close the Current Affairs forum from 1st March.
We'll also need to close 'Not Safe For Work' threads, like 'The Fit Birds' thread.
There's a chance we may also need to disable user to user private messaging but I'm awaiting clarification on that.
But fear not. We can still fume about Everton.
The UK government is forcing us to remove the Current Affairs forum, and NSFW type threads. Maybe also user to user private messaging.
Google 'Online Safety Act' if interested.
Long Rambling Version;
We're of course, an Everton Forum.
But in our 18+ years (not one of you wished the forum a happy birthday last week ffs), we've become a community beyond Everton.
Since 2017, we've sought to best accomodate 'current affairs' discussion in it's own sub forum - out the way, with a 'enter at own risk'/hands off moderation policy.
It's worked well.
Or as well as it could have done. Online. Politics.
However, the Online Safety Act (OSA) in the UK comes into effect on March 17, 2025. Someone much more articulate than I provides some commentary here. Also some more background info and it's implications here.
The implications of the act has already caused forums in their entirety to close, others have closed the ability to post. Some discussion on here of this act from December.
Moderating a Everton forum is challenging enough - we don't have the resource, ability, diplomacy to moderate politics in a way that would make us compliant with the act. Even if we did, I don't think we'd have the inclination to. Nor be prepared to accept the personal liability to do so.
Sadly then, we need to close the Current Affairs forum from 1st March.
We'll also need to close 'Not Safe For Work' threads, like 'The Fit Birds' thread.
There's a chance we may also need to disable user to user private messaging but I'm awaiting clarification on that.
But fear not. We can still fume about Everton.
