Neil Brown1d ago

The report of the Southport Inquiry (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-southport-inquiry-phase-1-report) makes for horrifying reading.

Perhaps of particular note to those interested in #OnlineSafetyAct issues, chapter 6 (online harms) of the report:

* leads with criticism of a lack of parental oversight / responsibility, which I found unusual.

* suggests that VPN usage in the UK should be subject to age / identity verification.

* notes that X was unhelpful in its responses to the Inquiry's statutory information requirements.

The Southport Inquiry: Phase 1 report

Phase 1 report of the inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the Southport attack of 29 July 2024.

GOV.UK
Show threadNeil Brown1d ago

The report is also critical of Internet filtering in schools, given what the perpetrator was able to access.

I am not sure that being tougher on schools is the answer here - they are already massively underfunded, with too much to do in too little time.

Perhaps it would be wise if the DfE was more specific about the requirements, such that schools, local authorities etc. could put more onus on suppliers to deliver a consistently high standard of service?

Show threadNeil Brown1d ago

The author appears to assert that browsing while using a VPN is, in itself, problematic:

> This should include consideration of:
> 1. Concerning patterns of online browsing and purchasing (e.g. change of names and addresses, use of Virtual Private Networks)

Page 232

Show threadDan Sugalski1d ago

@neil I admit to only having read the first few dozen pages of the report, but the takeaway I'm getting so far is there were *multiple* known, long term, systemic failures involving this kid and therefore it's the internet's fault somehow?

I may have missed something, or possibly there's nuance later.

Show threadNeil Brown
@wordshaper I don't think the report is saying that it is all the Internet's fault. That's just the section of most interest to me.
Apr 13 at 6:14pmWeb
Show threadDan Sugalski1d ago
@neil Fair enough, and giving more of a read I see it's not top-of-list on the recommendations for actions. It does still seem rather disproportionate, though, in what's proposed/pondered compared to the failures/issues with the systems that were actually directly set up to address the potential issues already.
Show threadGerard23h ago
@neil @wordshaper
It interested me too. I'm not very hopeful about the policies likely to come out of this.
It has had me wondering about where exactly responsibility does lie, but I don't think my thoughts are well-formed enough to post online, especially not at this moment.