FTC warns companies not to soften policy to accommodate UK, EU online safety laws

The U.S. government does not like Europe’s new digital safety laws. It does not like them on free speech, claiming that they stifle the First Amendment rights of American companies. And now, it has issued a warning that companies implementing policies to comply with foreign tech laws could be engaging in deceptive or unfair business practices.

A report from MLex cites comments from the chairman of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Andrew Ferguson, who says weakening encryption or other security measures to comply with laws like the UK’s Online Safety Act (OSA) or the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) could violate Section 5 of the FTC Act.

If a company tells consumers that it “encrypts or otherwise keeps secure online communications but adopts weaker security due to the actions of a foreign government, such conduct may deceive consumers who rightfully expect effective security, not the increased susceptibility to breach or intercept desired by a foreign power.”

The suggestion is that the U.S. law offers better data protection than the EU or UK for tech giants like Apple, Amazon, Meta and X. Given how the current administration is trending, it is most likely to be one of two things: a warning not to put foreign interests ahead of America’s, or a boastful slight aimed at the EU and UK.

Meanwhile, UK regulatory developments continue to fell violators – or at least chase them away. Having received notice that it faced an imminent fine from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) over violations of the Children’s Code, MediaLab, which owns image sharing site Imgur, has yanked the site from the UK.

“From September 30, 2025, access to Imgur from the United Kingdom is no longer available,” says a notice on its website. “UK users will not be able to log in, view content, or upload images. Imgur content embedded on third-party sites will not display for UK users.”

According to The Register, the ICO’s interim executive director, Tim Capel, says its findings are provisional, and that the ICO is willing to consider evidence before issuing a fine. However, he also says MediaMatters can be fined even if Imgur is no longer available to UK users: “We have been clear that exiting the UK does not allow an organization to avoid responsibility for any prior infringement of data protection law, and our investigation remains ongoing.”

OneID to enable age verification per item on ShopWired

UK-based eCommerce platform ShopWired has integrated OneID’s bank-based digital identity and age verification offerings. A release from OneID says it means merchants on ShopWired can now apply product-level age restrictions, marking individual items for automatic age checks during checkout.

Customizable settings mean merchants can enable an “always verify” option for stricter compliance, and comprehensive admin controls that allow merchants to manage and audit age verification and import and export verification details for reporting purposes.

“We are delighted to partner with ShopWired to deliver frictionless, bank-verified age checks at the point of purchase,” says Keith Mabbitt, Chief Commercial Officer at OneID. “This collaboration ensures merchants can comply with regulations while offering customers the simplest, most secure way to prove their age – without ever oversharing personal data.”

KWS to power age checks for Bluesky in Ohio

Ohio’s age assurance law for adult content is now in effect, and that means implementing age verification for red hot, salacious nookie sites – like left-wing social media platform Bluesky, which has announced it will enable Kids Web Services’ (KWS) age verification in the state, according to the Columbus Dispatch.

Once Missouri’s law goes into effect later this year, half of all states in the U.S. will have enacted online safety laws with age verification requirements.

Article Topics

age verification  |  Bluesky  |  cybersecurity  |  Digital Services Act  |  FTC  |  Kids Web Services  |  OneID  |  Online Safety Act  |  social media  |  U.S. Government