Coalition of Digital Rights Groups Calls on UK to Tackle Root Causes of Online Harm Instead of Imposing Broad Restrictions

Introduction

A coalition of 19 digital rights organizations, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), Mozilla, the Tor Project, and Open Rights Group, has sent a letter to UK policymakers urging them to address the fundamental drivers of online harm rather than resorting to blunt measures that threaten the open internet.

The Coalition's Concerns: Age-Gating and Access Restrictions

Following the passage of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, the coalition warns that proposed policies could fundamentally reshape the web in detrimental ways. Chief among these are sweeping age-gating requirements and access restrictions that, while ostensibly designed to protect children, would effectively apply to all users.

Inaccurate and Privacy-Invasive Age Assurance

The letter highlights that these measures rely heavily on age assurance technologies that are either inaccurate, privacy-invasive, or both. Mandating such systems across a wide range of services—from social media and video games to VPNs and even basic websites—would force users to verify their identity simply to access the web. This creates serious risks, including expanded surveillance, data breaches, and the erosion of anonymity.

Risks to the Open Internet

Beyond privacy, the signatories argue that age-gating at scale could fragment the web into a patchwork of restricted jurisdictions, limit access to information, and entrench the dominance of powerful gatekeepers like app stores and platform ecosystems. In doing so, policymakers risk weakening the very qualities—interoperability, accessibility, and openness—that have made the internet a global public resource.

The Missing Pieces: Addressing Business Models and Systemic Harms

The letter also emphasizes what's missing from the current policy approach: meaningful efforts to address the underlying drivers of online harm. Many digital platforms are designed to maximize engagement and profit through pervasive data collection and targeted advertising, often at the expense of user safety and autonomy. Rather than imposing access bans, the coalition calls on UK policymakers to hold companies accountable for these systemic practices and to prioritize user rights by design.

Preserving the Internet's Benefits for Young People

Importantly, the signatories highlight that the internet remains a vital space for young people: offering access to information, support networks, and opportunities for expression that may not exist offline. Policies that restrict access risk cutting off these lifelines without meaningfully reducing harm.

The message is clear: protecting users online requires more than heavy-handed restrictions. It demands thoughtful, rights-respecting policies that tackle the business models and design choices driving harm, while preserving the open, global nature of the web.