Marc Andreessen Wades Into The UK's Online Safety Act Furor

Geek-turned-venture-capitalist Marc Andreessen has weighed in on the arguments surrounding the UK's Online Safety Act, accusing the UK government of leaking his input.

Andreessen, notable for his part in authoring the Mosaic browser and as co-founder of once-dominant 1990s browser Netscape, reportedly complained to Downing Street about the UK's Online Safety Act (OSA), which recently came into force and is designed to prevent children from stumbling across unsavoury content on the internet.

He not only complained about the legislation but also called for Peter Kyle, the UK technology secretary, to be reprimanded over comments that stated individuals who wished to overturn the Online Safety Act were "on the side of predators."

Andreessen has a point. However, while he has not denied the content of the story, he has used Elon Musk's social media mouthpiece, X, to state that his input was "mutated" and he was asked for it rather than proactively contacting UK government.

We asked Andreessen to clarify his points, but the billionaire has yet to respond. The UK Cabinet Office directed us to the UK's Department for Science, Innovation and Technology for its side of the story, but it has not answered our queries.

Things have not entirely gone to plan for the Online Safety Act since it came into force. The legislation requires platforms like Google, X, and Reddit to block certain types of content until users prove their age through methods such as photo ID and credit card checks.

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The Act's introduction has coincided with a surge of interest in Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), which route internet traffic via another country, both disguising the location of the user and bypassing the restrictions.

Free speech and privacy activists have criticized the OSA. X's Global Government Affairs account said it "shows what happens when oversight becomes overreach." Anything that looks like it might be censorship is likely to come under fire from free speech evangelists, such as Andreessen.

Yet the UK government is also under pressure from some quarters to address the issue of adult content that can easily be found on the internet. As such, the OSA contains powers to fine online providers found in breach of the regulation £18m or 10 percent of their global turnover.

Andreessen's comments, mutated or not, indicate that disquiet over the UK's Act is showing little sign of abating. ®