Ofcom triggers its crisis protocol after Belfast riots
Ofcom has activated its crisis protocol right after the Belfast riots. The 'likely' threshold for censoring content is being criticised as subjective and dangerous.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Ofcom activates its crisis protocol: prevention or prior censorship?
The UK regulator Ofcom has finalised its 'crisis response protocol' just as the Belfast riots were taking to the streets. The measure, embedded in the Online Safety Act, requires social networks and messaging platforms to activate emergency moderation teams whenever a crisis "occurs or is likely to occur". They must also maintain a direct line of communication with law enforcement to coordinate content removals. The problem lies in the threshold: "likely" is a subjective, forward-looking judgement delegated to private companies with every incentive to overreact.
The backlash was swift. For many, this is another step towards state censorship: freedom of expression is suspended as soon as things get complicated. Some compare it directly to the dystopia of 1984. Others point out that, being a dictatorship endorsed at the ballot box and backed by the EU, it is hard to strip it of legitimacy. The question left hanging is to what extent a measure designed to protect safety ends up becoming a tool of political control. Because when the likelihood of a crisis is decided by those in power, freedom of expression always loses.
The risk of 'likelihood' as a trigger
The key to the new protocol lies in the ambiguity of the term "likely". There is no objective threshold: the platform itself decides, under pressure from the authorities. In practice, any riot or protest can be labelled an imminent crisis, and critical content removed before it spreads. Private companies, which already overreact for antiestéticar of fines, now have a perfect excuse to censor without accountability.
Are we looking at a reasonable safety measure or a dangerous precedent for freedom of expression in the West?
Related discussions in the forum
The UK regulator Ofcom has finalised its 'crisis response protocol' just as the Belfast riots were taking to the streets. The measure, embedded in the Online Safety Act, requires social networks and messaging platforms to activate emergency moderation teams whenever a crisis "occurs or is likely to occur". They must also maintain a direct line of communication with law enforcement to coordinate content removals. The problem lies in the threshold: "likely" is a subjective, forward-looking judgement delegated to private companies with every incentive to overreact.
The backlash was swift. For many, this is another step towards state censorship: freedom of expression is suspended as soon as things get complicated. Some compare it directly to the dystopia of 1984. Others point out that, being a dictatorship endorsed at the ballot box and backed by the EU, it is hard to strip it of legitimacy. The question left hanging is to what extent a measure designed to protect safety ends up becoming a tool of political control. Because when the likelihood of a crisis is decided by those in power, freedom of expression always loses.
The risk of 'likelihood' as a trigger
The key to the new protocol lies in the ambiguity of the term "likely". There is no objective threshold: the platform itself decides, under pressure from the authorities. In practice, any riot or protest can be labelled an imminent crisis, and critical content removed before it spreads. Private companies, which already overreact for antiestéticar of fines, now have a perfect excuse to censor without accountability.
Are we looking at a reasonable safety measure or a dangerous precedent for freedom of expression in the West?
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (27 replies).
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