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A transatlantic standoff is brewing as US attorneys representing 4chan issued a fierce rebuttal to the UK government’s recent actions under its expansive new online censorship law, the Online Safety Act.
The British communications regulator, Ofcom, claims that 4chan breached duties to provide information and comply with online censorship regulations. Now, facing potential fines, the platform is pushing back, backed by legal firepower and the threat of US federal litigation.
Attorneys Preston Byrne and Ron Coleman, acting for 4chan, responded publicly to Ofcom’s provisional notice, which accuses the American company of failing to meet information notice requirements and possibly breaching duties related to content moderation.
Ofcom’s provisional decision cites 4chan’s alleged noncompliance with two official requests and flags an ongoing investigation into broader content regulation duties.
Despite being based entirely in the United States, with no operations, employees, or assets in the UK, 4chan now faces the prospect of a fine, with daily penalties looming if compliance is not achieved. Byrne and Coleman made it clear that any attempt to enforce UK censorship codes or levy financial penalties on an American firm will be contested in US courts.
In a statement, Byrne wrote, “The UK government should now understand that any attempt to touch any American company, however small, will be met with a coordinated U.S. legal response. We will not let any American be picked on by any foreign power.”
The attorneys described the UK’s actions as an “illegal campaign of harassment” targeting American tech firms and warned that this extraterritorial enforcement of censorship law was incompatible with the First Amendment.
“American businesses do not surrender their First Amendment rights because a foreign bureaucrat sends them an e-mail,” the statement read. “Under settled principles of U.S. law, American courts will not enforce foreign penal fines or censorship codes.”
The White House has already briefed US federal agencies and warned UK leadership, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer, to back off.
Nevertheless, Ofcom appears intent on pressing forward. The regulator issued its provisional decision on August 13, alleging “reasonable grounds” for believing 4chan failed to comply with statutory duties.
Additional areas under investigation include the adequacy of 4chan’s risk assessment for illegal content and whether it has upheld broader safety responsibilities.
The lawyers are urging the Trump administration to use every available diplomatic and legal tool to push back against what they call “extraterritorial censorship mandates.”
“A political solution to this matter is urgently required,” they wrote, calling for immediate intervention at the highest levels of the US government.
The case has ignited concern over how far foreign regulators can go in policing content that originates outside their jurisdiction, especially when such enforcement efforts run directly into constitutional protections for free expression.
4chan has formally reserved its rights and is preparing to challenge any further actions from the UK in American courts.
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Author: Cindy Harper
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