Wikipedia has lost its High Court challenge against the UK government over the Online Safety Act and some of its user verification requirements.

The online encyclopaedia launched the challenge in an attempt to exempt it from some of the Online Safety Act’s regulations that would target large online platforms – mainly user verification services.

Wikipedia said that the provisions would potentially limit monthly users of the site in the UK, and potentially hurt its platform as unverified users, or users who wished to remain completely anonymous, would not be able to make edits to, add to, or mediate posts.

Wikipedia’s online offering relies on a wide array of volunteer editors and content moderators who aim to keep the site accurate and free from misinformation and disinformation, as well as harmful content. These users may make profiles with Wikipedia to edit the site, but users and editors are not required to make a free account with Wikipedia.

Wikipedia’s main concerns assumes that the website would be classified as a Category 1 platform, which it has yet to be identified as. If this is the case however, the Wikipedia fears it may force users to make accounts to then verify their identity, even potentially needing  to verify ages for certain content pages.

Wikipedia says that since it operates as a “public interest site” and does not run ads, generate profit, or sell personal data, that it should be considered separately from other major platforms such as Facebook and X.

“We do not dispute the need for sensible online regulation. Wikimedia’s free knowledge projects are safe and important resources through which people across the UK—and the wider world—learn, share knowledge, collaborate, and gain media literacy, in over 300 languages,” Phil Bradley-Shmeig, lead council for the Wikimedia Foundation, wrote in a blog post when Wikipedia first brought up its challenge.

“But for services like Wikipedia to thrive, it is essential that new laws do not endanger charities and public interest projects.”

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However, the court decided that the Online Safety Act should target sites like Wikipedia, and that the decision on whether to categorise Wikipedia as a Category 1 platform should be left up to Ofcom.

Mr Justice Johnson of the High Court said that Wikipedia may operate within the law “without causing undue damage to Wikipedia’s operations.”

While he ultimately rejected the Wikimedia Foundation’s claims, he did say that the ruling “does not give Ofcom and the Secretary of State a green light to implement a regime that would significantly impede Wikipedia’s operations.”