Just a quick post to reaffirm/remind - mainly so I have a thread I can point to with rationale...
TL;DR:
We’re an Everton forum, and from March 2025 we’ve removed political, religious, and other “current affairs” topics in response to the UK’s Online Safety Act. Moderating that kind of debate would require resources we don’t have – and we’d rather keep the focus on Everton, football, and the things that bring us together.
We’re an Everton Forum.
In our near two decades, Grand Old Team has grown into a community that talks about far more than just Everton. Over that time, we’ve tried different ways of handling “current affairs” – including, from 2017, giving it its own sub-forum with an “enter at your own risk” and very light-touch moderation approach.
It worked… as well as online politics ever can.
From March 2025, the UK’s Online Safety Act (OSA) come into effect, bringing our 2017–2025 approach to an end.
Moderating an Everton forum is challenging enough; moderating political debate in a way that would keep us compliant with the OSA would require time, resources, and diplomacy we simply don’t have.
So, we reverted to keeping Grand Old Team free of current affairs.
Of course, “current affairs” covers a broad spectrum – but in general, we mean, and as per our terms;
It’s not about shutting down conversation – it’s about keeping the focus on Everton, football, and the things that bring us together.
We do, for now, allow some current affairs chat in our Forum Subscription Lounge, as it’s a paid, and so, age-gated area which heads off challenges with a smaller audience.
Thanks for the understanding.
TL;DR:
We’re an Everton forum, and from March 2025 we’ve removed political, religious, and other “current affairs” topics in response to the UK’s Online Safety Act. Moderating that kind of debate would require resources we don’t have – and we’d rather keep the focus on Everton, football, and the things that bring us together.
We’re an Everton Forum.
In our near two decades, Grand Old Team has grown into a community that talks about far more than just Everton. Over that time, we’ve tried different ways of handling “current affairs” – including, from 2017, giving it its own sub-forum with an “enter at your own risk” and very light-touch moderation approach.
It worked… as well as online politics ever can.
From March 2025, the UK’s Online Safety Act (OSA) come into effect, bringing our 2017–2025 approach to an end.
Moderating an Everton forum is challenging enough; moderating political debate in a way that would keep us compliant with the OSA would require time, resources, and diplomacy we simply don’t have.
So, we reverted to keeping Grand Old Team free of current affairs.
Of course, “current affairs” covers a broad spectrum – but in general, we mean, and as per our terms;
It’s not about shutting down conversation – it’s about keeping the focus on Everton, football, and the things that bring us together.
We do, for now, allow some current affairs chat in our Forum Subscription Lounge, as it’s a paid, and so, age-gated area which heads off challenges with a smaller audience.
Thanks for the understanding.
