(The CATO Institute) For many people, restrictions on the freedom to share their opinions online and listen to their favorite podcasts without government permission may seem like something out of a dystopian novel or horror movie. Increasingly, however, lawmakers in countries with time-honored traditions of respecting free speech have worked to pass legislation, though well-intentioned, aimed at protecting young people online by restricting a wider array of content without first uploading a government-issued ID.

It's a scary story for our speech and privacy rights that is becoming increasingly and concerningly true.

Earlier this year, the United Kingdom's Online Safety Act went into effect. The law places stringent requirements on websites and apps that might contain information deemed "harmful to minors." In the immediate aftermath of the law's enforcement date, some major websites blocked access for non-age-verified users to content on the wars in Gaza and Ukraine to ensure compliance with the law. They did so under the (presumable) reasoning that, even though such content might be protected by the law's exceptions for news, it still posed too much of a risk of being found in violation of the law's vague terms and categories. Though done out of an abundance of caution, this action leaves many users bereft of important news and critical discourse on these topics.