Changes Coming To GOT

[GrandOldTeam]

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.

 

[trueblue84]

Nonsense. People are in prison for Facebook and twitter posts.

They are as open to legalities as any other digital communications.

Twitter is irrelevant to THIS forum being forced to shut down parts to satisfy this need to control discussions.

THAT is the issue.

There are forums that promote suicide and self-harm, where people can post revenge porn, AI porn etc. They have been able to exist because those sites argue that they can't be held responsible for what their users post as that the try to "moderate" their site and "remove harmful content", when in reality they do nothing.

This law isn't shutting down discussion. It's making those discussions the responsibility of the site owner who is hosting it. I have no problem with that, but do feel for sites like this that haven't got the bandwidth/finances to manage it.

 

[ste d' indica]

Challenge away Ste

In fact, now I know you work in the field of reviewing legislation I might be sending you a near 30 page doc I'm pulling together to review because it's making my eyes bleed;

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From the pretty extensive reading I've done - the various commentators I've consulted with... the lazy AI exchanges;

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@tsubaki ^ the "harassment/bullying/harmful misinformation etc" is the type of content I referred to earlier.


... I struggle to see a scenario in which we can operate CA, or host page 3 material, and remain compliant.

Very happy to help if I can boss.