They didn’t start with Meta. Didn’t touch TikTok. Skipped Reddit. They went straight for 4chan. The anonymous board. No ad budget. No lobbyists. No PR firewall. Ofcom fined it £20,000. Daily penalties began stacking. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/keir-starmer-donald-trump-prime-minister-xi-jinping-truth-social-b2797406.html
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Keir Starmer's online STASI @Ofcom have levied their first fine under the Online Safety Act on 4chan who have been fined £20,000, with daily penalties.
They have instructed lawyers @ByrneStorm & @RonColeman to fight the action in an American Federal Court.… pic.twitter.com/9WidHLMm2F
— David Atherton (@DaveAtherton20) August 16, 2025
Then they crossed the ocean. Lawyers Byrne Storm and Ron Coleman were instructed to take action in a U.S. federal court. Not UK jurisdiction. No extradition. A direct legal strike on American soil.
Starmer claims it’s about “child protection.” Says the Online Safety Act isn’t censorship. Says it targets suicide sites and porn. https://www.gbnews.com/politics/donald-trump-keir-starmer-online-safety-law
But the first target wasn’t a suicide site. Not a porn hub. It was 4chan. The board that leaks. The board that mocks authority. The board that doesn’t play by the rules.
No one is explaining why a UK regulator is suing a U.S. website in a U.S. court. No one is analyzing the jurisdictional overreach. No one is asking why Ofcom skipped every major platform and went straight for the fringe.
“Online STASI” isn’t just a nickname. It’s baked into the original leak. Starmer’s Ofcom isn’t regulating. It’s hunting.
Online Safety Act passed July 25. Enforcement began August 1. First fine August 15. First lawsuit August 16. No cooling-off. No grace period. Just fines, lawyers, and federal filings.
Starmer says “we’re not censoring anyone.” Ofcom’s first move is a censorship fine. Against a speech board. In another country.
“Safety” now means fines. “Protection” now means lawsuits. “Regulation” now means transatlantic prosecution.
This isn’t about child safety. It’s about control. And they just proved it—across the ocean.