Save Free Speech Online! — Big Brother Watch

#Free Speech Online

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UPDATE: The Online Safety Act is now law. Together, we forced the previous government to drop plans which would have caused the censorship of “legal but harmful” speech but plans to scan our conversations & give state-backing to Big Tech’s T&Cs will cement this Bill as a censor's charter. Join us today to keep up the fight for privacy and free speech.

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GROWING THREATS TO FREE SPEECH ONLINE

Internet and social media companies are the public squares of the modern-day. But our online public spheres are at risk.

The previous government passed a censor’s charter, the Online Safety Act. It seeks to regulate social media companies by forcing them to monitor and censor social networks more than ever.

This Act is disastrous for privacy rights and free expression online. Measures in the Act involve:

new powers that give state-backing to Big Tech’s censorious terms and conditions
forcing tech companies to scan private conversations by undermining encryption, the technology that safeguards privacy
monitoring all online communication risking censorship of marginalised voices and controversial opinions

The State of Free Speech Online Report

In 2021, we published a groundbreaking report exposing the scale of Big Tech censorship and warning against the Government's Online Safety Bill. The report maps the impact of Big Tech’s corporatisation of speech standards and the Government’s disastrous plans for curbing online expression even more.

Read the report:

This man had his post removed for violating Facebook’s rules on “hate speech”. Social media companies’ rules are often blunt in their application, without any consideration for context.

This man had his post removed for violating Facebook’s rules on “hate speech”, as statements of inferiority in relation gender are taken literally and are banned.

Fear about the spread of so called “disinformation” and “misinformation” during the COVID-19 pandemic led social media companies to suppress discussions about public health policies.

The stifling of free expression led social media platforms to brand posts by academics about the efficacy of wearing face-masks as “false”. It also led to any articles by investigative journalists about the origins of COVID-19 wrongly being flagged as “false”.

Widespread concern about self-harm content online led to the deployment of algorithmic censorship tools on platforms like Instagram, which attempt to detect and erase the images of online users who have self-harm scars.

Far from supporting self-harm survivors, these systems stigmatise mental health and label pictures of individuals as “disturbing”.

What we want

Take Action

Three ways you can protect #FreeSpeechOnline:

Write to your MP

The Government must remove requirements that target lawful speech from the Online Safety Bill. Take action today, email your MP.

Email your MP

Got a tip? Email us.

We’re collecting evidence on social media censorship. If you, or someone/a group you know, have been affected by unfair platform rules, bans or deletions, please tell us about it.

Send email

(+ include screenshots/links where possible).

Become a supporter

This is one of the easiest and most effective ways to help us protect free speech online. Sign up with a monthly donation to Big Brother Watch

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Research and policy briefings

You can read our parliamentary briefings on regulating internet platforms in 2018 and beyond here:

Rolling Stone – UK arrests for online speech “disturbing and disproportionate”

September 3, 2025

The Critic – The perverse outcomes of the Online Safety Act

August 29, 2025

The Telegraph – Censor lawful content or pay severe fines, tech companies told

August 9, 2025

UnHerd – Big Tech could be UK’s last hope against Online Safety Act

August 9, 2025

The Guardian – Big Brother concerns over new online safety laws

August 4, 2025

LabourList – ‘Labour can’t ignore the Online Safety Act’s harms ‒ it must act to fix them’

August 2, 2025

Go to media

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