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Online Safety Act: Ofcom’s super-complaints scheme will be used to censor “emerging online harms”

Introduction

Ofcom is a public corporation accountable to the UK Parliament.  It is the UK’s regulator for communications services.  It regulates the UK’s broadband, home phone and mobile services, TV, radio and video on demand services, oversees the universal postal service and looks after the airwaves used by wireless devices such as cordless phones, walkie-talkies and even some car keys and doorbells.

With the introduction of the Online Safety Act (“the Act”) in 2023, Ofcom became the regulator for online safety.  The aim is that Ofcom will become the online regulator not only in the UK but globally.

The Act gives Ofcom the powers they need to take appropriate action against all companies in scope, no matter where they are based, where services have relevant links with the UK. This means services with a significant number of UK users or where UK users are a target market, as well as other services which have in-scope content that presents a risk of significant harm to people in the UK.Online Safety Act: explainer, Department for Science, Innovation & Technology, UK Government, 24 April 2025

What are Super-Complaints?

A super-complaint is a formal mechanism established under the Online Safety Act that allows designated organisations to raise concerns about systemic issues affecting users of regulated online services.  Unlike individual complaints, super-complaints focus on broad, emerging trends or widespread problems across multiple platforms, rather than isolated incidents. 

Eligible entities, such as consumer protection bodies or organisations representing users, can submit these complaints to trigger a specific regulatory response from Ofcom.  The super-complaints regime is designed to complement Ofcom’s own research and horizon scanning, a forward-looking assessment of emerging risks and trends in digital services.

“The super-complaints regime, in line with the Act and recent Government regulations … will enable eligible entities to raise systemic issues that arise across services or, in exceptional circumstances, on one service, to our attention. We expect to consult on draft guidance for potential super-complainants in September 2025 and publish our final guidance in early 2026,” Ofcom’s roadmap to regulation of “online safety” states.

From November 2023 to 11 January 2024, the Government ran a public consultation on the eligible entity criteria and procedure for super-complaints.  The Government’s response to the consultation was published on 9 June 2025; the Ministerial Foreword by Baroness Maggie Jones stated:

The objective of the super-complaints regime is to ensure that eligible entities can make complaints to Ofcom, as regulator, to make them aware of existing or emerging online harms. This will also support Ofcom’s horizon scanning function, supporting Ofcom in taking an agile approach to regulating online harms.

Once approved by both Houses of Parliament, the super-complaints regime will come into force on 31 December 2025.Ministerial Foreword, Consultation Outcome: Super-complaints eligible entity criteria and procedural requirements: government response, UK Government, 9 June 2025

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Thailand – A Case Study for Biometric Data Control

Thailand has become a test case for the use of biometric data in every facet of life. Facial recognition data is required for any single transfer above 50,000 baht (around $1,580), daily transfers above 200,000 baht, and any international transfers from personal accounts.  All major Thai banks, such as Bangkok Bank, Kasikorn (KBank), SCB, Krungthai, and Krungsri, require customers to submit biometric data, and the Bank of Thailand (BOT) provides the general guidelines that these banks must follow.

It may begin with banking and documentation, but the ultimate goal is to develop digital IDs that are stored on a centralized database. The board of Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) proposed that users must submit biometric data to register SIM cards. The rule went into effect in August and applies to everyone in Thailand, including tourists.

The Thai Ministry of Public Health (MOPH), the Thai Red Cross Society, and the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) has implemented the use of biometric data to track undocumented persons. Health agencies claim the technology can identify the spread of disease and assist in providing humanitarian aid and medical services. The MOPH claims the technology is 99.75% accurate. According to the Department of Labour’s Bureau of Alien Workers Administration, over 1 million undocumented migrants were in the nation as of July 2025.

“The application of biometric technology not only improves healthcare, disease prevention and control, medical services, and humanitarian aid with accuracy and inclusivity, but also reflects the protection of human rights and dignity of undocumented people in Thailand. It also creates opportunities for education and research by Thai public health professionals to develop further benefits for the general population,” Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin stated.

The Thai Red Cross Society is a branch of the global Red Cross agency. Thailand’s Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) claims all personal data will be securely protected, but they have already begun sharing with international agencies.

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Dealing With the Microplastics Silent Invasion

We’re living in an era where we have never been so heavily subjected to toxicity, coming from so many different sources. The extent to which these toxicities are capable of assaulting our bodies and their ubiquitous nature means that we can never be completely free from their effects. 

However, there are ways in which we can protect ourself to minimize their effects. For a list of unprecedented health threats and how we can protect ourselves go here.

Another nasty to include in the list of toxicities is microplastics. 

They have been detected in the remotest areas of the world: The Arctic, Antarctic, deepest oceans and other isolated environments, such as, for example, in the glaciers, snow-covered mountainous areas, rivers making up the Gela Dandong Peak in China, untouched by humans.

Not that long ago research was done on the brains of deceased humans to look for plastic content. The research, conducted by Professor Matthew Campen, University of New Mexico, revealed that the plastic content of their brains was found to be 0.5% on average for each individual. -That’s the equivalent of a plastic spoon weighing 5g. Hence the above image showing a plastic spoon pasted on the brain.

The 0.5% result was a 50% increase on comparing average brain plastic content in 2016. 

-This disturbing evidence suggests that we are facing an inevitable, unstoppable generational increase in body plastic toxicity. Not just in our brains, but an invasion of microplastics in other areas of our bodies, including other vital organs such the liver, kidneys and heart…

So named the ’silent invasion’ because the microplastics, tiny shards the size of 200 nanometers (0.0002 millimeters) or even smaller, such as nano-plastics (1 billionth of a meter), are too small to be detected by the naked eye. These pollutants are present in the air, land and water.  

When ingested or inhaled, they enter our bodies bypassing natural immune defenses, unable to be broken down when in the body. 

Bisphenol-A or phthalates are examples of the toxic ingredients that accumulate, having the ability to affect body pH, and mimic or block hormones: The consequences of hormonal disruptions include infertility, pregnancy complications, cognitive impairment and oxidative stress (leading to cell damage) through  imbalances… 

Further, besides affecting the body’s organs they are able to clog up arteries and veins, leading to cardiovascular illnesses.

As microplastics are present in oceans, soil and reservoirs where our drinking water and food comes from, they have become hotbeds for antibiotic resistant superbugs. 

A Boston University study showed that E. Coli bacteria became 5 times more resistant to over several different antibiotics when in a microplastics environment. This disturbing link between microplastic toxicity and increasing antibiotic-resistant superbugs should sound alarm bells ringing. 

Consider the implications. For example, consider wastewater (effluent) treatment. This now has superbugs in a microplastic environment that poses a public health threat when released back into the environment if not treated properly. What about the areas where there are poor people and there is a lack of sanitation…?  

-In short, the microplastics silent invasion has become a world-wide health emergency threatening both humans and wildlife in the environment.

However, there are a number of necessary precautionary measures we can take to protect ourselves. 

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Ireland’s Prime Minister Declares ‘Ireland For The Irish’ an Incitement to Violence

Ireland’s Taoiseach has claimed the phrase “Ireland for the Irish” amounts to an incitement of violence.

According to the Irish Examiner, Prime Minister Micheál Martin said that his country was at a “very serious crossroads.”

“There is a narrative growing in this country which is trying to other people because of their colour, their race, their creed,” Martin said.

“I think the vast, vast majority of Irish people recoil at this, but we have to be better, more strategic in dealing with this and engaging with this because this is undermining the dignity of every child born in this country.”

Martin added that phrases like “Ireland for the Irish” promote violence against minorities and undermine societal cohesion.

“This is, to me now, an emerging societal issue for us all,” he continued. “Where do we want Ireland to go? What kind of society do we want?”

“We’ve developed, we’ve progressed. We can’t regress and that means conversations and engaging with people.”

“It’s tantamount to an incitement and it needs to stop. Irish society needs to take stock.”

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Epstein’s Inbox Lays Out Gift Networks, PR Tactics, And Strange Habits

Nearly two weeks ago the House Oversight Committee released a trove of emails related to Jeffrey Epstein.

Today Bloomberg revealed they have obtained over 18,000 more – and dedicated a fleet of journalists to sift through them – with what we imagine was an effort to find dirt on President Donald Trump. 

And while mentions of Trump are scant, the emails reveal a vast network of gifts spanning Epstein victims, recruiters, and associates. 

Trump Stuff

Donald Trump is mentioned a few times in the cache; he appears alongside Epstein and Maxwell at Mar-a-Lago in 2000, and in a 2003 New York Magazine–described dinner Maxwell arranged at Epstein’s townhouse with “barely clad models”; in a Sept. 14, 2006 email in which Maxwell sends Epstein a 51-name VIP list that includes Trump – to which Epstein replies “Remove trump,” with the list’s purpose unclear. On Aug. 23, 2007 Maxwell writes to Epstein that reporters likely “went to donald trump” as the Epstein investigation into his sex crimes intensified.

And there’s one message recounting Trump and Epstein’s real-estate rivalry over Abe Gosman’s former mansion (which Trump ultimately bought). 

The correspondence, most active from 2005 to 2008, includes a 2007 accountant’s spreadsheet itemizing nearly 2,000 gifts, purchases and payments totaling about $1.8 million. Many entries bear Maxwell’s initials, “GM,” indicating she helped arrange them. The records log intended recipients ranging from political aides and financiers to assistants and women who later identified as victims. The spreadsheet does not confirm whether gifts were actually delivered or accepted.

The emails also show Maxwell’s role was broader than she has publicly claimed.

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Steven Crowder Announces He Has Been Subpoenaed Over Explosive ATF Leak Revealing Transgender and Anti-Fascist Engravings on Charlie Kirk Assassin’s Weapon

Conservative podcaster Steven Crowder has announced that his company has been subpoenaed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) after he received a leaked document from within the agency claiming that a weapon found near the site of Charlie Kirk’s assassination was equipped with cartridges etched with symbols and phrases tied to transgender and Antifa ideology.

The FBI confirmed during a press conference on Thursday morning that the shooter’s gun was found in a wooded area near the campus. The Wall Street Journal later reported that its sources confirmed the markings.

In a post on X, Crowder wrote, “Just received word that my company is being subpoenaed by the ATF. No details yet.”

The original post stated, “This morning my team received an e-mail from officer at ATF. The email included a screen shot from what appears to be an internal message describing a weapon and cartridges located by an ATF and other law enforcement near the scene of the Charlie Kirk shooting at Utah Valley State University.”

The document describes the cartridges as bearing etched symbols including the transgender flag colors and phrases such as “Trans Rights Are Human Rights,” hinting at a premeditated act driven by radical beliefs.

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Property Taxes Are Theft

Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida has an absolutely thrilling idea, one I never imagined I would see unfold in my lifetime. He is putting on the ballot next year a referendum that would abolish or restrict local governments from taxing owner-occupied homes.

That’s right, he wants to get rid of the property tax, saving residents some $3,400 a year and fundamentally disrupting the way schools and local governments are financed.

Texas is considering the same path.

If this really happens, I can easily predict more of a demographic shift out of the Northeast and Northwest to the South and Texas. If this spreads to more states, it would amount to a revolution in public finance.

It’s long overdue. These tax schemes are brutal on home ownership. Indeed, it’s hard to say that you are ever really the owner of your home if you are having to pay rent to the government every year.

It’s especially a problem in an environment when the home valuation goes up every year and so does the tax you owe on the place. You have done nothing but lived there and enjoyed life. It is entirely paid off. Meanwhile, the government keeps coming after you with ever more pressing demands for money.

You cannot really say you are an owner of anything under these conditions. Of course when I hear about how this will save $3,400 on average in Florida, I nearly faint. In my area of the country, this would be pennies. Property taxes in New England can be $20K–40K and that is not unusual.

These taxes fund schools that people don’t use. That’s how public schooling in this country came to be financed. The system of school districts really is a system of tax districts. That’s why they are so heavily enforced. Live on this side of the street instead of that one and your taxes can be completely different. It’s all to fund the public schools, whether you use them or not.

Friends of mine are paying $30K in property taxes plus $70K per kid for private schools for three kids.

If that kind of expenditure shocks and amazes you, you are not alone. I find it all unfathomable but that’s how New England works.

It’s a different world in Texas and Florida. Here you have new experiments in school choice. The plans are different but they generally let the parent use the money that would otherwise go to the public school for private schools, charter schools, or homeschools, either in the form of direct payments or deductions from the tax bill overall.

We might ask how all of this is happening now. The answer traces to the school closures of 2020 and 2021 which dramatically reduced confidence in the public schooling system and hence the way they are financed. If millions of people are homeschooling and millions more are attending newly established private schools, the political pressure for ever-higher property taxes is thereby reduced.

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The Freedoms Lost Under the Patriot Act

The Patriot Act was drafted and pushed through with lightning speed, something that could not have been written overnight. This was the beginning of warrantless surveillance, indefinite detention, and a wholesale reversal of constitutional rights. I have said many times: governments do not waste a good crisis. They wait for the right moment to impose measures that would never pass during normal times. Americans may be unaware of the freedoms that have been stripped away from them after October 26, 2001, when the Patriot Act was signed into law.

The Patriot Act, officially titled “the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001,” provided the government with unlimited surveillance powers. Terrorism became the premise to bypass the checks and balances of the legal system. Need a warrant? One could be obtained in any district or area where terrorism was suspected. Of course, warrantless searches were permitted under the guise of terrorism and deemed “sneak and peek” searches, where the government could enter a business or personal residence immediately and without warning to conduct an investigation.

Neither party has repealed the Patriot Act, and politicians on both sides of the aisle will NEVER relinquish these powers. The Patriot Act destroyed the Fourth Amendment and legally permitted the NSA to spy on all Americans. October 26, 2001, marked the day that the United States of America officially became a surveillance state. We The People were branded as potential terrorists, and “the land of the free” was permanently placed under the watchful eye of government. “The War on Terror” has no clear end or defined enemy. The real target was always domestic — the American people themselves. By creating an atmosphere of fear, Washington justified trillions in spending, the invasion of foreign countries, and the slow strangulation of the very liberties the terrorists supposedly hated.

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Ryan Routh, DOJ Offer Opening Arguments in Trump Assassination Attempt Trial

The trial of Ryan Wesley Routh, who is charged with the Sept. 15, 2024, attempted assassination of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, has begun in Florida amid growing concerns about politically motivated violence in the United States.

Routh, who is representing himself, and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Shipley offered opening arguments on Sept. 11 before hearing from a Secret Service agent, who testified that he confronted Routh at Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, in September 2024, just weeks before the presidential election.

Shipley’s opening argument laid out his findings regarding Routh’s preparations for the alleged assassination attempt, including allegedly traveling to Florida, using various aliases, using encrypted communications, and purchasing a firearm. The case, he said, is not about whether the jury likes Trump or not but whether an attempt was made on Trump’s life.

“[Routh] wanted to make sure the people of this country could not reelect [Trump],” he said.

Opening arguments began nearly a year after the incident on Sept. 15, 2024, and just a day after the assassination of conservative commentator and Trump ally Charlie Kirk. It followed a lengthy pretrial period in which Routh decided to represent himself and submitted bizarre court documents, such as one requesting to subpoena Trump and suggesting a golf match with the president that would end with either Routh dying or becoming president himself. Jury selection took place earlier in the week.

On Sept. 11, Routh, wearing a gray blazer, white shirt, and tie, could be seen smiling often in the relatively small courtroom. According to his indictment, among other things, he has been charged with an attempted assassination of a presidential candidate and faces years in prison. In 2024, he pleaded not guilty.

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Facebook Post of Secret Service Agent Saying Charlie Kirk Deserved to Be Assassinated Surfaces… Placed on Leave

A Secret Service Agent, in a Facebook post, said Charlie Kirk deserved to be assassinated.

TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk, 31, was brutally murdered in broad daylight on Wednesday during an event at Utah Valley University. A gunman climbed up onto a roof and shot Charlie Kirk from an elevated position.

Secret Service Agent Anthony Pough said Charlie Kirk, a Christian husband and father to two young children, deserved to be murdered in cold blood.

“If you are Mourning this guy… delete me. He spewed hate and racism on his show,” Anthony Pough wrote.

“You can’t circumvent karma, [sic] she doesnt [sic] leave,” he said.

“The Secret Service agent’s post is circulating in the Secret Service community with some agents upset over his sentiments because he appears to be celebrating the death of a political figure, and one whom the president is honoring with the Presidential Medal of Freedom and has often had by his side at events over the last several years,” RealClearPolitics reporter Susan Crabtree said.

“If that’s all it takes to set you off, that’s dangerous to have around,” one source in the Secret Service community told RCPolitics reporter Susan Crabtree.

“I’m mostly concerned about the morals of a person sworn to protect the rights of others to engage in politics and exercise free speech, celebrating the death of someone exercising those same rights,” the source added.

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