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

I wouldn't say the financial risk is the big issue, a fair few ways around that as you've suggested.

The issue is the individual liability of "senior management" (which I'd guess would be those in charge of maintaining the servers/code, moderation, etc), in particular potential criminal charges.

The chance of that happening is probably negligible but non-zero.

I guess there could potentially be a structure with no "senior management" and all decisions taken collectively but it seems difficult in reality.

Had this been resolved yet?

I'm not London based, have only met a couple of people on here IRL, but it's still one of my favourite places to waste time. I'll do my best to follow the forum in whatever form it takes next - I'm on the Discord already.

The coop would need to be incorporated, ie. CIC as @skydancer has said, but also could be a CBS or probably more appropriate would be a CS ("Cooperative Society")

I haven’t read full details

Read them and understand them

Other things to do.

Having been involved in a few cooperative organisations within which individuals were making 'management' decisions, the legal foundations meant that these individuals were not liable.

It is worth looking into these structures.

I will speak to some individuals within the UK coop movement to see if this potentially could remove liability from you @Velocio. (if this is a direction you wish to explore)

If in doubt, collectivise?

Hey, maybe you're not a total cunt after all

@Velocio have you considered structural hot glue?

have you considered structural hot glue?

👏

I will speak to some individuals within the UK coop movement to see if this potentially could remove liability from you @Velocio. (if this is a direction you wish to explore)

If I had no liability, and the forums did not need to be sold (an option I am flat out not considering)... then yes, assuming risk is diffused, reduced, or otherwise mitigated... they could live on.

I'd likely still want to make it more resilient in future, it's always been me doing everything, it can't be that if I'm not accepting the risk... so if the forum survives, it survives because a group forms to run it.

The more interesting question is probably binary:

• If a group formed in the UK to serve UK users, what would this look like? From an entity, compliance, financial status, etc... and who would take the various roles needed, how would it be structured and operate, etc.
  
• If a group formed outside the UK and focused on providing service to international users with a minority of UK users (location is not a requirement, who knows where people are), and LFGSS became post-geographic, what would this look like? Where would it be registered (I've had offers from Switzerland and the USA this morning), how would the finances work, etc, etc.
  
  

What should be obvious is that change must happen, and to survive it requires a lot of change... I can't just accept donations and top up with my own money when it falls short, it would need some way to accept donations and manage the expenses, maybe Open Collective, etc.

The first option includes compliance, the second likely does not... have nothing in the UK and I let go fully (am clearly happy to do this as shuttering the site is the same thing)... but in both scenarios, who are these people who will operate it, do they understand what they're getting into, etc?

I've received a lot of messages in the last 24h, from press, people in tech, individuals who just believe in privacy and freedoms, and of course forumengers who care not to lose the forum.

I think it's clear to all that I personally do not accept the risk and liability... it's too much of a weapon, this is Chekhov's gun in the UK's own style of bureacracy... a weapon on stage in Act I will be fired in Act III... there is nothing preventing the Online Safety Act directly being used against those who operate and are involved with community websites.

But, if there is a path to finding continuity for the communities, that doesn't involve selling the soul of the communities (I won't consider migration to Facebook for example), then it's responsible of me to try and find that path... yesterday morning that seemed impossible, as the only person involved, how do I find a path? But a lot of people have stepped forward to potentially do different things, so there's more hope today that something might happen.

Ironically of course, a number of the options are directly against what the Online Safety Act attempts to achieve, because a number of the options are just "move it beyond reach and only impact the communities geo-located in the UK".

@Velocio have you considered structural hot glue?

Only for my outfits.

The effect of appearing on Hacker News yesterday around 6pm.

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Phew, that was a lot of reading. Glad that there seem a couple of very real options on the table. Mine was going to be to transfer to a fiscal sponsor org that's willing to accept the risk and fight the legislation if necessary.

Regardless of what happens I think we should still organise a big old ride and inc. a bit of a demonstration on Parliament Sq. :)

Big love @Velocio

First they come for your 40k kitchen..

Sadly this was inevitable as our overlords attempt to exert further control.

Fucking hell, this is gutting news.

I will look into the liability of a cooperative entity in relation to the OSB. (I don' think the transferance of hosting to outside the UK makes a difference especially as most users will be in the UK for time being)

Everything depends on people stepping up to be involved with a group willing to take over/share running the forum. These people need to step up at this stage to work with you and commit time from now for exploring the ideas that have come up so far on here. If no one steps up we are on a hiding to nothing. (I would but you know that I can't do this)

Volunteer here
https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/401494/

In terms of the liability of individuals of a collective/cooperative there is none, unless an individual has done something illegal.

Directors and Co-Sec of such entities are responsible for ensuring all compliance (as with any company) so will need to demonstrate they have done what is required. This means that the group running the collective would need to ensure they have the systems in place for moderation, reporting etc.

I was always insured as a director of various entities (D&O insurance)

Effectively were people to step up and take on/share this role they would need to ensure LFGSS has done all needed to comply. So the additional information that comes out in Jan will need looking at and acting on.

Though everything depends on people on here stepping up to take on roles or else, rightly, @Velocio has no choice but to close the forum

Having been a member of LFGSS under some guise or another since there were less than 150 members, I can honestly say this place changed my life.
The forum and its members, especially in those early days got me through one of the worst periods of my life and helped to give me purpose when I felt I had none.
Over the years it also helped me to see and understand through the way I interacted on here parts of myself that I really didn't like. Unfortunately this resulted in me ruining friendships, and at times taking my self hatred to very dark places, but this was through no fault of the forum or its members.
Having taken a step back from the 'front line' of the forum, and a step back from the social side, I still often remember so fondly the good memories and good people this place helped to bring into my life. The rides, the drinks, and the parties, are some of my happiest memories.
Knowing that LFGSS is always there if and when I need to take a break from myself has been a safety net that is much needed.
I feel genuinely sad to read that it might have to end, but will hold onto the memories even tighter.
Velocio...you did something incredible here. You changed lives.
Love always, Scottnotscot/Archiesgrobags/Black_Rainbow_Project
xxx

in my experience as a director in a couple of CICs personal liability to the directors can be £1.00
i’ve not read all through the act yet, but from what i’ve understood, if we just make lfgss a CIC, that would take away the risk from Velocio, and the site could basically just carry on the same.
just a few people to volunteer as directors is plenty, and the paperwork of setting it up with companies house etc.

I blame Cycling Mikey....

Shit news. Fuck.

i’ve not read all through the act yet

please read the Act first and the Ofcom announcements, etc, a lot are linked in the first post.

there is additional liability and consequences (including criminal) for the officers of a company, which would apply to a Community Interest Company too.

I was active on LFGSS a decade ago and loved the community, the psych, it's what got me into cycling which has since shaped much of my life. A decade later being a reader of Hackernews I was surprised to see LFGSS pop up and wondered what this familiar acronym was doing on the front page.

I'm sorry to hear this news and see another part of the free internet go dark. Thank you to @Velocio for your contributions that unbeknownst to me I was a beneficiary of.

Maybe we could just all meet up now and again IRL. We would need somewhere to gather. A large space. Like, I don't know, a field?

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...

Hell yeah.

there's more hope today that something might happen.

Heeellll yeah.