A letter to my MP

I’ve never written to my MP before. In fact I forgot who it was and had to look them up. This is the letter I’ve just sent my MP, off the back of Wikipedia’s fight against being censored by our government, and the privacy implications inherent in having to send proof of age documents to commercial entities overseas we’re not given the opportunity to vet.

Feel free to copy, paste, and adapt this letter and send it to your local MP.

Re Wikipedia and the Online Safety Act

I’m writing as one of your constituents to share my concerns about how the Online Safety Act is being implemented — particularly in relation to Wikipedia and the broader impact on privacy, expression, and access to knowledge.

Wikipedia is currently challenging its classification as a “Category 1” platform, which would force it to introduce identity checks and other heavy-handed measures.

For a non-profit, volunteer-run site built around community moderation, that feels disproportionate, and risks making it harder for people to contribute safely and anonymously. In effect, it could become a form of quiet censorship.

More broadly, the age verification systems being rolled out in response to the Act often require users to upload facial data or documents to third-party firms overseas. If the goal is safety, it’s hard to understand why such sensitive data isn’t handled by a UK-based, accountable system. Privacy shouldn’t be the price we pay to access everyday parts of the web.

And while this may sound abstract, history shows us how important it is to protect space for ideas that challenge the status quo. It was once illegal to be gay in this country. Who’s to say what today’s unpopular ideas might one day help move us forwards?

The web should remain a place where knowledge and debate can thrive, not just what’s politically safe in the moment.

I hope you’ll raise this issue and support

• An exemption for Wikipedia from Category 1 rules
• A rethink of how age verification is handled, with stronger privacy safeguards
• A more proportionate approach overall, so we don’t lose the web’s openness in the name of safety

Thanks for reading, and for all the work you do.

Yours sincerely,
Mark Steadman