Peter Kyle defends UK free speech record after US report attacks Online Safety Act
Tech secretary Peter Kyle has pushed back against a damning US government report accusing the UK of backsliding on human rights and curbing freedom of expression under Labour.
The annual State Department dossier, published on Tuesday, warned that Britain’s human rights record had “worsened during the year” amid “serious restrictions on freedom of expression”, and singled out the government’s new Online Safety Act as a key factor.
The report said the UK had urged technology companies, including major US social media platforms, to “censor speech deemed misinformation or ‘hate speech’”, and cited claims of a “two-tier justice system” following the Axel Rudakubana killings, calling it “an especially grievous example of government censorship” against ordinary citizens.
Kyle hit back on Thursday, telling the LBC that the UK has “fantastic” and “historic” measures.
He added: “If you come right to the current moment with the Online Safety act, there are 50 separate mentions in legislation that give… protections to… freedom of speech.”
The criticism comes just three weeks after the Online Safety Act came fully into force on 25 July.
Originally introduced by the Conservative government in 2023, the legislation was designed to shield children from harmful material, mandating strict age verification for pornography and content promoting suicide, self-harm or eating disorders.
It also granted Ofcom sweeping powers to regulate platforms it deems “category 1” services – those with significant influence over public discourse.
From child protection to censorship concerns
In practice, the act’s broad scope has led to unintended consequences and accusations of overreach.
Platforms have preemptively blocked or age-gated a wide range of material – from music playlists and GIFs to parliamentary speeches and war coverage – in a bid to avoid fines of up to £18m or 10 per cent of global turnover.
Wikipedia has mounted a legal challenge, warning that compliance could compromise the privacy of its volunteer editors.
Free speech advocates have condemned the law as “monstrous censorship”, while VPN use in the UK has surged dramatically.
What’s more, Google Trends data shows searches for “how to get around age verification” have risen by more than 450,000 per cent since July.
Kyle has insisted the government will not ban VPNs and defended the act’s aims, saying it is a vital safeguard for children online.
But privately, officials admit enforcement is proving politically and technically complex, with some companies accused of applying the rules in an excessively strict way to highlight their flaws.