- UK digital rights advocates join the newly formed Stop Killing the Internet movement
- The group was launched a day after the UK announced an upcoming social media ban for under-16s
- A petition urging the UK government to scrap its plan is also now live
Just 24 hours after the British Prime Minister announced a sweeping social media ban for under-16s, UK digital rights advocates have joined forces to launch a global movement opposing online restrictions.
The “Stop Killing the Internet” campaign has a clear mission — defending the open internet against state policies that could trigger mass surveillance and excessive control under the guise of online safety.
An official statement seen by TechRadar explains that the campaign formed after global advocates met to discuss how proposals like social media bans, on-device scanning, and heightened state surveillance are accelerating worldwide.
Organizers officially unveiled the campaign on Tuesday at a press conference inside the European Parliament, alongside a new petition urging the UK government to scrap its plans.
High-profile groups including the Open Rights Group, Big Brother Watch, and Index on Censorship are among the UK-based digital rights organizations that have already backed the movement.
Moritz Katzner, director of Stop Killing Games — the movement’s sister campaign — is urging the public to resist the recently announced measures.
“The internet is a place of education, games, friendship, culture, work, and public debate. Like any town hall, it can become ugly. But we would never respond by shutting down the town hall. We would never demand identity papers at the door,” he said.
Why join the campaign?
The Stop Killing the Internet coalition launched in response to a wave of international legislative proposals that attempt to address child safety using what privacy experts call invasive,…
