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

Have tried condensing it a bit and simplifying some of the language, hopefully that will help.

Dear [local MP],

I am writing to you about the Online Safety Act, due to come into force March 17th 2025.

The act was originally meant to hold large social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter liable for harmful content. Yet it was set out in such broad and vague terms that small online forums - run by sports clubs, hobby societies and other community groups - face being regulated out of existence. Please see the recent news coverage:

Hundreds of websites to shut down under UK’s ‘chilling’ internet laws
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2024/12/17/hundreds-of-websites-to-shut-down-under-chilling-internet/
Death Of A Forum: How The UK’s Online Safety Act Is Killing Communities
https://www.techdirt.com/2024/12/20/death-of-a-forum-how-the-uks-online-safety-act-is-killing-communities/
Hundreds of small websites may shut down due to UK's Online Safety Act
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2461213-hundreds-of-small-websites-may-shut-down-due-to-uks-online-safety-act/
Britain's online safety rules come into force, and sites are already shutting down.
https://boingboing.net/2024/12/18/britains-online-safety-rules-come-into-force-andl-ocal-sites-are-already-shutting-down.html

These forums are extremely important social spaces. They bring people with common interests together, serving as an important outlet for personal development and expression, and combatting loneliness and social isolation. In many cases, these communities exist solely within the realm of their online forums.

Most often the forums are run by volunteers or members of non-profit organisations. Understandably, they are not equipped for the overly onerous and complex compliance effort required to meet the proposals of the act. The personal liability risk in operating these forums poses a serious threat to their survival.

I believe regulation serves an important purpose, particularly where it pertains to the online safety of our children, and applaud its introduction. However, the proposed requirements, in their current form, will have a disproportionate impact on the above mentioned communities.

I therefore politely request that you to look into this matter and intercede with the Secretary of State to consider incorporating changes into the advice received from Ofcom, to align the requirements with the nature, size and resources of these self-organized communities (which are an expression of the centuries-old British tradition of associativism), minimising the impact of the act in their operation and ensuring their continued existence.

Kind regards

@Velocio, thanks for running this website for so long.

From a purley selfish point of view, I'd much rather a gradual enshittification of the forum as it's handed over and no longer guided by the steady hand of velocio, than the day one cold turkey of an instant switch off. 17th March gonna be an absolute head fuck if it happens.

Classifieds- if I post something I know to be untrue with the intention of gaining advantage I think that that post might be illegal content as defined by the act, and something that the site owner is liable for. Anyone got an opinion on the meaning of the text on this?

Classifieds includes risks of fraud, risk of handling stolen goods, in addition to the other risks outlined in the guidance.

Remember that illegal isn't the threshold, "legal but harmful" is the threshold, and the Act says nothing that requires the people involved in the sale to be the ones who were harmed, a reader can be harmed.

Sure- but the content itself becomes illegal because of that, if that makes sense.

This is definitely a fucked up law 🤦

I haven't said thanks @Velocio for your tireless work keeping this place alive. Keeping communities healthy is both an art and a science and you've done a great job of both...

I've been involved with other communities before but LFGSS was the first community that I've been involved that went from online to IRL. I can remember the first event I attended where I asked what someone's real name was and then inevitably what their forum name.

I remember fondly the many IRL events including track days, rides to the coast, bike polo, pedalo racing and also the way that lives were celebrated through weddings and funerals.

I've also find the place an invaluable hive mind for understanding issues and problems well beyond the world of velocipedes. We all come with our own blinkers on and this place has a way of taking them off with new knowledge or different points of view from the mundane to the profound...

Am hoping we find a way forward, but regardless of whether we do, I'll always remember fondly this world

Beautifully put Gus

also perma-ban selling used bibs it should be illegal

Is there a way to hide us away on the darkweb somewhere? Access through Tor, is that even still a thing? I'm out of touch. Or does that defeat the purpose?

Thanks for everything, @Velocio, I'm far, far away now so my activity here isn't anywhere near what it used to be, life gets in the way, thank fuck. 😋 I can only echo what people have already said, amazing community, what a bunch of cunts, etc. I hope there's a way through that keeps everyone safe and can keep us all talking about minced pies, disk brakes and shit neighbours, y'know, the important stuff. 🧡

Wherever we go we have to be findable so new members replace those who take up golf

Yeah, as I was typing I realised what a silly idea it was. We could make it a quest, a sexy (not often) bike related internet quest. Find the forum.

I am afraid I have discovered this rather late in the day.

First, a huge thank you to VB / @Velocio for everything that he has done to create and foster this community over the years. We have learnt together, laughed together, healed together, grieved together and most of all we have ridden together. I owe VB and this community so much. I learnt so much about cycling on here and used that knowledge to develop my love for and obsession with cycling. I have made so very many great friends on here and have been given such great opportunities by knowing those people.

I don't know where this goes now but I hope that we can preserve some of that community in some way. London is a wonderful city and allows for communities that arise from shared passions more that geographical location. One might never speak to a neighbour but can be cheered by nod, a wave or a DAS from a fellow forumunger when many miles from home.

Thank you VB. Thank you.

PS, can we have tags back?

#MargaretThatchersPenis

Question for the technerds. Would it be possible to hide a forum on the darkweb via Tor? Is there such a thing as a virtual server? Could you steal/borrow storage and hide a web presence like an internet forum? Is that possible or did I just see that in a bad spy movie? Not directly related to lufuguss, just a general query.

Yes, there are forums and chat boards on the darknet. You'd run your own node on the tor network that hosts the site.
Disclaimer: not a tech guy

That's ideal then, no?

I haven't read the legislation, tl;dr, apologies in advance for the basic bitch questions. Would a server somewhere UK legislation can't touch still be liable for content that someone/anyone deemed illegal/offensive/whatever? How could anyone police that? Same goes for a Darknet forum, if it's out of their jurisdiction how can they touch it?

Just spitballing.

The number of people on here that use TOR would be tiny compared to current users so it would have the same effect as shutting the thing down for most people

So you get everyone to use Tor. Sorry if I'm missing something obvious. I guess I'm just trying to look at it from another angle. Darkweb presence, disclaimer/waiver at login, enter at your own risk, etc, continue to forum, post about latest Rolex purchase, profit, etc.

I'm fo this

It's possible to hide the backend, and have visible public access that doesn't require hiding.

The law doesn't apply to proxies and ISPs, only to the platforms themselves and those who run the platforms.

One could easily envision multiple domain names all being a proxy to a backend, and those proxies don't have to be hidden, and they wouldn't know where the actual platform was, they could proxy by listening rather than forwarding, and then "mere conduit" applies again.

Just been catching up on the other thread where you've touched on this stuff a little.

Would going dark on the backend and using proxies be a better option than setting up the server above ground in Germany? Would it future proof the site? What if Germany implements similar regs, what then? Move again?

Is it more expensive to go dark? Technically more difficult?

I would steer clear of Germany, there are lawyers making their living just from sending
Cease and desist letters to websites over every tiny possible law infringement often in the
name of made up clients.