Last month, the UK rolled out new age verification measures under the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA), a new bill intended to protect the most vulnerable in the country from the worst of the internet. Whether it's effective is another story, but this is only part of the Act's rollout. There have been months of risk assessments with UK regulator, Ofcom, trying to decide if certain websites fit into certain categories, ranging from Category 1, 2A and 2B, where Category 1 applies the strictest rules on a site or service.
So, here's the kicker: Wikipedia, based on its size and reliance on user-generated content is likely a Category 1. Wikipedia doesn't want to be a Category 1. Wikipedia took its challenge to the UK's High Court of Justice. Today, Wikipedia lost that challenge.
