UK: Hundreds prosecuted under Online Safety Act for online 'speech crimes,' including spreading 'false information'

Image: Jihad Watch

Hundreds of individuals have been charged with online “speech crimes” amid concerns from the Trump administration that civil liberties are at risk in Britain.

Since the Online Safety Act took effect in 2023, nearly 300 people have faced charges for disseminating illegal “fake news” or sending “threatening communications,” with dozens already convicted under the legislation.

Following last summer’s riots triggered by the Southport stabbings, multiple individuals were prosecuted under the act, resulting in what are believed to be some of the first convictions under the new law.

According to data from the Crown Prosecution Service, obtained by The Telegraph through a Freedom of Information request, 292 people have been charged with communications-related offences since the law was enacted in October 2023.

To date, 67 individuals have been convicted under the new regulations.

Enacted under Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government, the Online Safety Act mandates that tech companies address harmful online content or face fines amounting to billions of pounds.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)