Stop Killing the Internet: inside the global movement that wants to save the open web
Stop Killing the Internet: inside the global movement that wants to save the open web
Publish Date: 2026-06-26 06:28:00
Source Domain: www.techradar.com
When the soon-to-be ex-British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, told the nation last week that a full social media ban for all under-16s from social media was “the right choice” for the country, a group of people was watching closely, and thinking about what to do next.
For them, policies like these are problematic. They require all users (adults included) to undergo mandatory age verification checks. That means face scanning or ID document sharing to prove that any user is old enough to access content and social media services – and that’s something that privacy advocates and technologists have long warned is “a cybersecurity disaster waiting to happen”.
But for this group, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Today, it’s your face they’ll want to scan. Tomorrow, it’ll be your messages.
So, after a social media ban in Australia, the development of Canada’s Bill C-22, the expansion of mandatory age verification in Europe, the EU’s Chat Control debate, and discussions on children’s online safety proposals in the US Congress, the UK’s announcement was the final straw
On June 16, 2026, just 24 hours after Starmer’s speech, that the Stop Killing the Internet campaign was officially unveiled with its mission to defend the open internet against state policies that could trigger mass surveillance and excessive control.
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“Any restriction that restricts people’s human rights and right to access the open internet is what we’re opposed to,” Programme Manager at the Open Rights Group (ORG), James Baker, told TechRadar.
(Image credit: Getty Images / NurPhoto)
The ORG is just one of many high-profile UK digital rights groups that have come together to form Stop Killing the Internet, along with Big Brother Watch, and Index of Censorship. They are calling to arms other worldwide organizations committed to finding rights-based solutions to online social problems to join in.
“We hope to expand globally…
