TL;DR: We’re moving these support forums to new hosting and blocking access from UK IPs. This will be done as soon as possible - weeks, not months. This keeps the forum open globally without forcing surveillance‑style age checks on everyone. If Ofcom insist geoblocking isn’t enough, we’ll close the forums. Life is too short for bureaucracy.
What this is about
The UK Online Safety Act (OSA) gives Ofcom powers over how services manage illegal/harmful content and children’s access. In practice that means pressure for age assurance and strict rules against encouraging circumvention. For a small technical support forum, the compliance load is wildly disproportionate. We want to keep the forum open without turning it into an ID checkpoint.
Ofcom guidance (A10.10)
“Service providers should not publish content that directs or encourages United Kingdom users to circumvent the age assurance process or access controls used on the service.”
Source: Ofcom — Guidance on highly effective age assurance (PDF, A10.10 on p.4)
The paperwork problem
Even working out what we’d need to do to “comply” with the OSA requires a mountain of paperwork. Actually trying to comply for UK users is worse: risk assessments, DPIAs, policies, audits, reporting—the lot. That’s fine for large platforms with compliance teams; it’s not realistic for a small support forum.
The issues with age gates
We fundamentally object to age gates, both on principle and, more importantly, on security:
- Freedom: We refuse to police identity. Conduct yourself appropriately and we don’t care who, what, or where you are.
- Security: Age‑gate databases create high‑value, centralised stores of identity data that should not exist. Creating a one-stop shop for attackers is reckless.
The solution: geoblocking
Our options under Ofcom’s regime are either close the forum or geoblock UK IPs. We’re choosing geoblocking so the forum stays open without privacy‑hostile age checks.
What to expect
- If Ofcom come calling before the move is complete there may be a temporary holding page for everyone on the current host.
- After migration, UK IPs will no longer be able to access the forum.
- Documentation, release notes, and everything else will remain available as before.
- UK visitors who need help: use email. Sorry.
UK users & Digital ID
For now, people in the UK can still use the wider Internet freely. That could change if a Digital ID scheme becomes a gatekeeper to basic online services. Similar trends abroad include Australia moving toward age‑assurance on search engine accounts.
It will come as no surprise that we are implacably opposed to any kind of Digital ID.
If you share our concerns:
- Parliament petition: Do not introduce Digital ID cards — add your name if you agree: petition.parliament.uk/petitions/730194
- Civil liberties briefing: Big Brother Watch’s campaign hub with reports and updates: bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/campaigns/no2digitalid
A final irony
Yes, we’re a UK‑based company. Yes, we’re blocking UK users to comply with a UK law. You couldn’t make it up.