LFGSS and Microcosm shutting down 16th March 2025 (the day before the Online Safety Act is enforced)

I didn't read it wrong, I'm just reading a summarised BBC article
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy83jdpgw5o

This is shit.

What if you sold lfgss

I really don't trust anyone else... with the private forums, the DMs, or even if those were all deleted... just the communities.

Everyone else would see the people as a source of profit, rather than seeing people as full people with love and sadness and so much emotions and joy.

I am not even considering selling this or any other forum... everything has a time, and it seems for the technical and admin side of this community that time has come.

I do hope that everyone here finds a new community, a new home... that when this falls it gives rise to a thousand other small things, and that what is special lives on.

https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mps/

Peter Walker at the guardian used to be on here, I think. Used to be their cycling correspondent and is now deputy political editor
Guardian senior political correspondent. DMs open. Email: peter.walker@theguardian.com Secure email if needed: peter.walker.guardian@protonmail.com

I didn't read it wrong, I'm just reading a summarised BBC article
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy8­3jdpgw5o

Read gov.uk or ofcom:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/online-safety-act-explainer/online-safety-act-explainer

Companies can be fined up to £18 million or 10 percent of their qualifying worldwide revenue, whichever is greater. Criminal action can be taken against senior managers who fail to ensure companies follow information requests from Ofcom. Ofcom will also be able to hold companies and senior managers (where they are at fault) criminally liable if the provider fails to comply with Ofcom’s enforcement notices in relation to specific child safety duties or to child sexual abuse and exploitation on their service.

"Companies" in the Act isn't even defined like that... this page is also an explainer, the Act itself is clear that this applies to all sites, apps, and services in scope... and that means it applies to me even without me having a company, just lil' 'ol me getting on with it.

Will this be the end of all the niche forums like retro bike etc?

No, they'll all continue in ignorance without there ever being an issue.

Fuck. LFGSS has probably been the most constant thing in my life for over fifteen years, which aside from family and school friends makes this the third most consistent thing in my life full stop.

I wish I had something useful to say or do aside from saying that surely there must be some way around this.

c'est la vie I say.

Nothing lasts forever.

Employers across London and beyond will genuinely struggle to understand the significant uptick in productivity from mid-March onwards.

What if you sold lfgss "the brand", but kept the keys for "tech support"?

Absolutely gutting. This place unlocked so much of what I love and appreciate about London and all of the work you've put in @Velocio as well as the content, rides and drinks from all of the other people here have given me unmeasurable joy.

ah man! this is sad.

@Velocio would you recommend Discord as a platform?

Yeah, I might go have a look at TZ, bikeradar, YACF and see if anyone has even mentioned this shit...

Ofcom is now the regulator of online safety and must make sure that platforms are protecting their users. Once the new duties are in effect, following Ofcom’s publication of final codes and guidance, platforms will have to show they have processes in place to meet the requirements set out by the Act. Ofcom will monitor how effective those processes are at protecting internet users from harm. Ofcom will have powers to take action against companies which do not follow their new duties.

As @hippy says - is somewhere like LFGSS ever in actual risk of falling foul of not doing what is necessary to discourage/remove the content covered by the bill? That said, I recognise that this legislation is worryingly broad - and I’m not the one exposed to the risks posed by it.

Would it matter where the "buyer" was located? Surely we've got forumengers all across the globe or some sort of shell thingy could be set up in a solicitors office of somewhere?
LFGSS Corporation?

Up for a lfgss discord

This is a shit way of avoiding bringing tags back to football.

Until faced with an influx of opinionated home improvement experts and watch fetishists in late March, at which point they'll start to wonder what has happened.

maybe @spotter or @chrisbmx116 can help us setup ?

Does discord have rep?

Already exists https://discord.gg/WgZZRWw

If it was me, I'd carry on blissfully ignorant of Ofcom. They're clearly aiming at the big social media sites, so I'd carry on and worry about it when they came knocking and asking about the content policies. "Oh, you mean these? This is how we deal with your thought crime nonsense. Is that all you need? Happy to help. Close the door on your way out."

Ewww so we end up having our content being monetised by discord instead of protected by Velocio? Great outcome, Offcom

Ewww so we end up having our content being monetised by discord

does this happen? I genuinely dont know how discord works as a platform.

can it be a Mastodon instance? I discarded that as option because it has more of a social network UX.

I know exactly where you're coming from but it seems like the potential personally liability is just far too great for us to be able to expect Velocio to carry that burden.