Online platforms could widen censorship of pro-Palestinian content in the UK due to the Online Safety Act and the proscription of Palestine Action, digital rights monitors have warned.
Open Rights Group, Index on Censorship and others are calling on the country's internet watchdog to provide clear advice on how platforms should identify expressions of support for terrorism, The Guardian reported on Saturday.
Failure to do so could lead to lawful pro-Palestinian expression being conflated with support for Palestine Action, a protest group recently proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the UK government, they wrote in a letter to Ofcom.
Content expressing opposition to Palestine Action's proscription also risks being flagged as unlawful support for terrorism, they warned.
"We are concerned that the proscription of Palestine Action may result in an escalation of platforms removing content, using algorithms to hide Palestine solidarity posts and leave individuals and those reporting on events vulnerable to surveillance or even criminalisation for simply sharing or liking content that references non-violent direct action," they wrote.
The signatories, which also include the US-based Electronic Frontier Foundation and organisations from eight European countries, also expressed alarm that platforms are being encouraged to flag more content than the Online Safety Act requires.
Introduced on 25 July, the legislation requires online platforms to enforce age checks on 'adult' material and remove illegal content related to terrorism, abuse and other subjects. Failure to comply with the rules could result in multi-million-pound fines.
Ofcom has advised companies to implement more stringent censorship policies to avoid breaking the rules.
"This approach risks encouraging automated moderation that disproportionately affects political speech, particularly from marginalised communities, including Palestinian voices," they wrote.
Sara Chitseko, a pre-crime programme manager at Open Rights Group, described the government's moves as a "serious attack" on free speech rights.
"Crucial public debate about Gaza is being threatened by vague, overly broad laws that could lead to content about Palestine being removed or hidden online. There’s also a real danger that people will start self-censoring, worried they might be breaking the law just by sharing or liking posts related to Palestine and non-violent direct action," she told The Guardian.
"We need to ensure that people can share content about Palestine online with being afraid that they will be characterised as supportive of terrorism."
Social media companies including Reddit and X have been found to have age-gated and removed content related to Israel's war on Gaza in the days since the Online Safety Act came into effect.
An Ofcom spokesperson said: "We have provided detailed guidance to platforms about how to identify the particular types of illegal and harmful material prohibited or restricted by the act, including how to determine whether content may have been posted by a proscribed organisation.
"There is no requirement on companies to restrict legal content for adult users. In fact, they must carefully consider how they protect users’ rights to freedom of expression while keeping people safe."