> If a British child could merely type your URL into a browser, the site is in scope.
Seems incorrect, no? The visit is more important than just typing URL. Worst-case scenario I will check your IP and if its in UK/GB scope, you will see "Unable to browse this site due to your-stupid-anti-blah-blah-UK-policy"
Well, they'd have to press enter. Once that happened, it sounds like you'd have to run through certifications to make sure that the phrase "your-stupid-anti-blah-blah-UK-policy" isn't potentially harmful to minors, and then also (at a minimum) put in business processes to make sure that the approved text didn't change.
Then, moving forward, whenever you changed any (unrelated) business process, you'd need to re-up your business process certifications.
The whole article is written like this - hyperbolically presenting the least generous reading she possibly can of the proposed law.
> [A pretty reasonable set of questions that companies must consider regarding how children might be harmed on their service]
> "you’re probably curled up in a ball crying"
No actually, I wasn't.
Filtering out the breathless commentary, the actual proposals don't seem that bad...? Certainly no worse than GDPR obligations and nowhere near the kind of regulatory compliance industries like Manufacturing, Construction and Medicine have to meet.
Admittedly I didn't make it to the end of the article because the tone was beginning to grate too much.
> presenting the least generous reading she possibly can of the proposed law
It's fine if you don't like the flourishes in her writing, but this is the correct way to read proposed legislation.
If the uncharitable reading describes the law enabling/preventing things in a way the authors don't intend, all they have to do is clarify the scope in the text of the bill.
The light least favorable to the drafting party is needed now. In 5 years when there are legal cases over the bounds of the law, the courts will use the text of the law rather that call in the authors and politicians that voted for it and check what they intended for the law to mean. Or maybe they would, I don't know how British courts work.
Tone aside, she does point out one clear way this bill does hurt tech compared to other industries.
The cost of entry into this space is really low compared to most other industries. You can very cheaply provide a reasonably competitive product.
One of the aspects of this bill that I do find worrying is that there are clear costs being added on that we're obligated to pay likely before we've validated the business works.
I do feel a lot of side-projects that could have gone to become viable businesses will never be released with this bill in place. Who wants to expose themselves to costs to try out a fun idea?
A lot of what she's arguing for could have been covered similarly to GDPR if there were carve outs for smaller entities, which would have been easy to mention, the absence of them lends weight to her assertion that the goal of this bill as it stands is to generally increase political control of the tech sphere.
Even if that control only extends to and harms UK businesses...
Seems incorrect, no? The visit is more important than just typing URL. Worst-case scenario I will check your IP and if its in UK/GB scope, you will see "Unable to browse this site due to your-stupid-anti-blah-blah-UK-policy"