UK
Retired Police Officer Fined £1,000 Over Bacon Meme in UK
There is no blasphemy offence in England and Wales. There is Section 127, and it turns out to be roomy.
Google Apologizes for Vanished Lord of the Rings Purchase
It took a Reddit thread, a supervisor and a man quoting a licensing clause back at its author to restore three films to one library.
Police Launch Live Facial Recognition Trial at London Subway Stations
Victoria Station handles a crowd the size of a small city every morning. The trial runs four months.
Britain's Elite Speech Monitoring Squad Has Flagged 106 Posts
The National Internet Intelligence Investigations team flagged 106 social media posts, half of them in June alone.
Apple Challenges UK iCloud Backdoor Order
The order is a crime for Apple to describe, so British users learn what happens to their privacy rights from court paperwork and leaks.
British Police Offer Animal Rights Activist "Thinking Skills" Course Over Online Post
Britain has found a way to make a speech investigation feel like a customer service call, right up until you read the conditions.
UK Committee Hears Calls to Expand the Online Safety Act’s Powers
Just when you thought the UK’s online censorship law couldn’t get any worse…
Blizzard Begins Asking UK Players for ID Before They Can Chat
The Online Safety Act has arrived in Azeroth, and it has questions about your ID.
Facebook Verified: Meta Now Wants a Video Selfie of Your Face
Meta’s Facebook Verified badge requires a video selfie, part of a fast growing push to collect biometric data.
UK’s Ofcom Seeks Wider Powers After American Forum Fine Fails
A £950,000 penalty, an American forum, and a British agency learning about the First Amendment.
Andy Burnham Scrapped Digital ID. His Internet Plans Say Otherwise.
The applause for scrapping digital ID arrived before anyone checked what survived it.
UK Rules Out VPN Limits — “For Now”
UK won’t ban or age-gate VPNs under the Online Safety Act, minister confirms, as the under-16 social media ban nears.