Fixing the UK’s Online Safety Bill, part 0: no, it’s not fixable. 21 July 2022 UK policy internet governance / Online Safety Bill / unregulated wild west internet fallacy Ahead of its return in September, I want to offer some constructive thoughts on how the Online Safety Bill's weaknesses should be improved. That's an academic exercise, though, because this Bill is not fixable.
The #WildWestWeb fallacy isn’t about ending online harms. It’s about enabling populism. 7 February 2022 UK policy Online Safety Bill / unregulated wild west internet fallacy The trope of the Internet as an "unregulated wild west" is a lie, and those who ply it know it; they need it as a means to a political end.
Your cut-and-keep guide to the “unregulated wild west internet” 20 April 2021 UK policy Online Safety Bill / unregulated wild west internet fallacy The next time a policymaker tells you that the internet is an "unregulated wild west", point them here to take the shine off their sheriff star.
Tech policy is no place for hero fantasies 18 July 2019 UK policy unregulated wild west internet fallacy When someone says the internet is the "wild west", what he's really saying is that he has a personal fantasy about being the sheriff.