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

You are catastrophizing. You are describing forums as "lucky" that they haven't had bad things happen yet you are not acknowledging your own luck. How many times have you faced lawsuits for things that have happened on your forums? How many times have you been attacked in public because of things that have happened on your forums? How many times have people tried to interfere with your personal life because of things that have happened on your forums? All of these bad outcomes can (and do) happen today to forum operators, I am sure they have happened to you. And if they have happened to you already, why are you so focused on this new legislation as an existential risk? Bad things happen to people who don't operate forums, too: many internet famous people have relationships with their local police departments due to the volume of swatting, stalking, harassment and threats that anyone with a profile on the internet experiences.

Philosophical disagreement with this legislation is one thing, intellectual dishonesty about the impact is another. The other forum operators mentioned by aggi aren't reckless risk-seekers intent on orchestrating the destruction of their own life, they're pragmatists who understand this legislation is another grain of sand in the bucket of risk taken on when putting yourself in the crosshairs of nerds.

Given the choice between death threats against my family from an aggrieved and motivated person who has gone to the effort to identify me personally, or a report to Ofcom from the same aggrieved and motivated person, I will take the report to Ofcom every day of the week. Wouldn't you?