PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: The United Kingdom’s (UK) government is enforcing its Online Safety Act 2023 globally, targeting foreign platforms like Gab and Kiwi Farms to comply with its online safety standards. Gab refuses to comply, facing potential penalties.
👥 Who’s Involved: The British government; U.S. social platform Gab and forum Kiwi Farms; the UK’s Office of Communications (Ofcom); Gab CEO Andrew Torba; the U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer; and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
📍 Where & When: The enforcement has started internationally in 2023; a specific notice was sent on March 26, 2025, for Gab to reply bizarelly by March 16.
💬 Key Quote: Gab’s statement declares, “We will not pay one cent,” emphasizing the refusal to comply with UK demands.
⚠️ Impact: The UK’s law attempt sets a precedent that could affect global platforms, leading to potential international trade retaliation and impacting the future of free expression online.
IN FULL:
The British government’s Online Safety Act 2023 is extending its reach beyond the country’s borders by asserting compliance demands on foreign-based platforms. Notable among these platforms are Gab and Kiwi Farms, both vocal advocates of free speech.
Critics argue that this campaign, under the guise of “online safety,” represents a form of government control over thought. The National Pulse previously reported that U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance called out Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to his face for the “infringements on free speech” in the United Kingdom, as he pledged he would do in an exclusive interview with Raheem Kassam, Editor-in-Chief of The National Pulse, in February.
Gab, an American company dedicated to First Amendment rights, is directly challenging the UK’s demands. The British Office of Communications (Ofcom) has threatened significant penalties against Gab, potentially amounting to £18 million (over $23 million USD) or 10 percent of worldwide revenue, for non-compliance with British regulations. In response, Gab has approached the United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and the Department of Justice (DOJ), seeking trade-related actions against the UK.
Gab CEO Andrew Torba has made the company’s position clear by publicly rejecting the demands. “We will not comply. We will not pay one cent,” Torba wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter). He added, “We will defend our UK users’ right to speak freely and reject any law that compels censorship.”
A notice from Ofcom to Gab, issued on March 26, 2025, gave an impossible deadline of March 16, which Gab used to underscore its criticism of the oversight’s perceived arbitrary nature.
On a similar note, Kiwi Farms, known for its unmoderated content, has responded by cautioning UK visitors about the potential loss of privacy. The site warns users that British authorities could monitor their online actions without IP masking services like Cloudflare. It advises using VPNs or Tor and explicitly states its rejection of foreign censorship.
Supporters of free speech have criticized the Online Safety Act as part of broader efforts to control dissent online. Gab warns that yielding to such efforts could risk similar impacts across U.S. tech companies.
