Rejected petition Urge Westminster to reconsider the Online Safety Act

The Online Safety Act threatens privacy and free speech by requiring ID or biometrics for age checks, risking data leaks through third-party storage. It favors big tech, harms sites like Wikipedia, and limits open discussion. Safer tools already exist. We urge the Senedd to support less invasive solutions, for example requiring major operating systems to enable “Safe Mode” by default, with an opt-out during installation, to better protect users without sacrificing rights.

More details

Hackers steal images from women's dating safety app that vets men:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7vl57n74pqo

Big Tech is the only winner of the Online Safety Act:
https://www.newstatesman.com/science-tech/big-tech/2025/07/big-tech-is-the-only-winner-of-the-online-safety-act

Tech giants blocking some Ukraine and Gaza posts under new online rules:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj3l0e4vr0ko

NSPCC - Use Parental Controls:
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/parental-controls/

Why was this petition rejected?

It’s about something that the Senedd or Welsh Government is not responsible for.

‘Internet services’ is a reserved matter

We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards

Rejected petitions are published in the language in which they were submitted